No matter its size, your company cannot afford expensive lawsuits because of safety issues you failed to address. If you don’t keep your ears to the ground, some issues can put an end to your business. So, here are some essential safety policies your business needs immediately.
Table of Contents
Necessary Insurance Policies
As you know, insurance is important for almost every business. And the law requires some policies. Depending on the type of business you run, you will need general policies. As a construction management company, for example, you’ll need policies that cover general liability for contractors. This will pay for damage to buildings under construction, repairs, and even workers’ compensation. Or if you run an agricultural business, and you don’t want to be facing down a tractor trailer accident lawyer who will get a huge settlement for their client, then you need to ensure your vehicle is fully insured for damage and liability. All of which, if not met, would cost your company a lot of money.
Proper Emergency Evacuation Plans
As an employer, you need to make sure that your employees know what to do in case of a fire, natural disaster, or other emergency. You can do this if you hold regular drills to make sure that all of your employees know how to do things. It also helps to think about what kinds of emergencies could happen at your workplace. For example, if you work with certain substances and they leak, you could get sick. You should also assign trained safety managers at work.
Essential Safety Policies Include Workplace Issues
Recent news stories have made us all more aware of some problems in the workplace. But just to be clear, a survey found that 38% of women are sexually assaulted at work. There are 38% too many. There are, of course, other kinds of abuse. So, you need to make a policy that says there is no tolerance for violence at work and set up ways to report and look into any incidents. Also, offer help to people who have been hurt at work, such as workplace counselling services.
Cybersecurity Policies, Of Course
Cybersecurity is a huge problem right now. But you can set up policies and procedures to protect sensitive data to lessen the effects of a breach. You can have a policy that requires strong passwords, secure networks, and regular backups of data. You should also find and evaluate the cybersecurity risks that your business faces. This includes possible threats, weak spots, and what will happen as a result. And also, keep your staff informed of current threats.
Employee Health and Wellness Outreach
To help stop accidents at work, you can make programs that encourage employees to live healthy lives, like giving them healthy food options, encouraging them to exercise regularly, and giving them resources for their mental health. You can also make rules and policies about drug and alcohol use at work, such as testing and disciplinary actions. Health and wellness programs help employees and help the business as a whole do well by reducing absences.
Summary
Safety at work is always a vital responsibility. And not paying attention will cost lives and money. Some essential safety policies are more important than others. These include insurance policies, addressing workplace violence and adopting staff health and wellness programs.