Whenever you employ workers, you have a duty of care and must ensure that they are as protected as possible whenever they are on the job. Sadly, many workplace fatalities occur each year, and you need to ensure that you do everything you can to prevent accidents, no matter what industry you work in. What are some of the main obligations, and how can you ensure that you are always in compliance?

Your Obligations

While many workplace health and safety laws have been created to protect employees, you also have a legal obligation to protect visitors, customers, suppliers, external contractors and anyone else who comes into contact with your business. And don't forget that this not only extends to physical protection but can also cover mental health as well.

There are many different disciplines involved when it comes to occupational health and safety. Numerous rules have been written into law which means that your business is obliged to adopt certain practices. For example, your workplace has to be kept in as safe a condition as possible, so it should be free of any health risks. You need to manage and control processes, systems or equipment and make sure that everything is safe, efficient and operational.

Determining Risk

You must assess any risks, some of which may be peculiar to your operation. Once you have determined the nature and scale of such risks, you must implement appropriate measures to control any exposure. Where your business relies on the movement of goods, fluid or other substances, you need to ensure safe handling and use.

Training and Information

Of course, you cannot assume that your employees (and other people) will know exactly what to do when they are in a potentially dangerous environment. Consequently, you must give them the necessary information, training or instruction so that they can interact without any risks. If need be, you may have to install supervisors who can keep an eye on operations at all times.

Briefing and Notification

Once you have come up with a comprehensive health and safety plan, all appropriate people need to be correctly briefed. This may involve posting signs at strategic locations, holding regular meetings as needed and managing the risk as carefully as possible.

An Expert Assessment

If you comply with all the rules and take clear steps to lower risk, educate or protect everyone involved, then you should be okay. However, it can certainly be difficult to assess all of these risks yourself, and it's a good idea to bring in an expert as well. They can appraise your operation and look at the challenge from all necessary angles. They will work with you to create your plan and ensure that you comply with all necessary legislation.

For more information about conducting a workplace health and safety assessment, contact a local professional.