[ad_1]
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), manufacturing job openings remain higher than pre-pandemic levels. Even as the labor market cools, manufacturers are losing skilled workers retiring and often have to replace them with less experienced workers.
Simply put, attracting and retaining a high-quality workforce is a primary challenge.
Now imagine this: What if one of your existing employees gets injured? Your business will be short-staffed.
In 2022, the number of nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses was 2.8 million, an increase of 7.5% from 2021. Adding to the risk, workers with less than one year of experience accounted for 28% of all injuries.
Today’s situation highlights why a safe workplace is even more important for managing costs and maintaining staffing levels.
Here’s how to get back to safe basics.
Learn about common injuries
Before you can prevent an injury, you need to understand how and why the injury occurs.
Common workplace injuries can disrupt operations and put undue stress on remaining employees. Causes of these injuries often include:
- overworked
- Slips, Trips and Falls
- Equipment accident
- being caught in or between objects
- Repeated actions
Develop a safety culture
A safer workplace starts with your employees and your habits. Here are the qualities to look for.
Start with a self-audit: Whether you implement a comprehensive security program or use a more informal approach, performing a self-audit has several benefits:
- It gives you a clear understanding of your program’s strengths and weaknesses
- It enables your management team to make adjustments
- It provides a benchmark against which progress can be measured
During self-audits, take the opportunity to learn from employees as you develop or adjust plans. If you make an update, assist employees in understanding the new agreement and their responsibilities.
Vet new hires thoroughly: Conduct background checks on all candidates, but before implementing a background check program, consult with your legal and human resources professionals about the proper approach to conducting background checks for your business. Review each candidate’s prior work experience and references, and, if applicable to the job position, review their driving record. Don’t rush the hiring process. Invest the time upfront to avoid longer, more expensive problems down the road.
Prioritize safety during onboarding: Provide hands-on guidance on equipment, tools and procedures from experienced team members. Go beyond rules and regulations and instill a culture of safety. Make sure new employees know safety is a top priority.
Emphasize daily safety habits: Remind employees of safety procedures. Have supervisors lead morning meetings and shift changes with quick safety talks. Ongoing reinforcement from supervisors and experienced staff helps keep safety top of mind.
Conduct regular safety checks: If your team discovers a problem, don’t wait. Eliminate the hazard or repair it as soon as possible. Also, communicate the issue to your employees.
Report and review incidents: Document all events, even the small ones. Report and review incidents to help identify potential patterns, including hazardous tasks or recurring problems. It can help you identify future maintenance improvements.
Hold effective safety meetings: When you’re busy at work, it’s easy to overlook safety. Schedule brief monthly meetings with employees to review policies and discuss trending issues. Encourage discussion of potential improvements and concerns. Giving upward feedback allows employees to focus on their roles.
Communicate often: Recognize the power of consistent communication to reinforce messages. Regular reminders via email, text messages and newsletters can help keep safety top of mind.
Celebrate safety successes: Positive reinforcement plays a key role in promoting workplace safety. Recognize individual and team safety leadership. Reward safe behavior. When you inject positive feedback, you reinforce the value you place on your employees.
Collaborating to prevent harm
Your insurance company wants to help you minimize your risk. Leverage their expertise. They may have security consultants who can provide advice.
Whatever you do: take action.
In a market where competition for technical talent is fierce, investing in security can pay off. When you create a safer workplace, you help protect existing employees and your bottom line. It reflects your business and its commitments.
Give your business a competitive advantage. Talk to your insurance company and local experts to make safety a top priority in 2024.
[ad_2]
Source link