Workplace Safety Tips for 2014

Need a quick refresher on workplace safety? Maybe just a bit of motivation? Maybe you practice safety 100% of the time and are confident that you don't need any tips, but chances are that you know someone who does. Take a look quick look through these safety tips to help yourself remember to always promote a safe working environment.
 
Create a Safe Work Space: Whether you're operating heavy equipment, flagging traffic, running a drill press or working a conveyor line it's critical to keep your work area as safe as possible. Faulty or worn components, dangerous debris and other hazards can cause serious injury. Even if it's not an immediate threat, an unrelated occurrence could cause an otherwise overlooked or ignored hazard to become a dangerous factor when making split-second decisions.
 
Maintain a Clean Work Space: The cleaner the better. Clean environments contain less foreign material and therefore fewer potential hazards. Less clutter also promotes better productivity and performance.
 
Involve Your Peers: Don't forget that accidents and injury on the job are not always the fault of the injured. Things that you choose to do on the job can have a direct effect on the safety of others. Take ownership of safety for yourself AND your coworkers. If everyone does so, you'll have a safer overall environment. Safety is a group effort!
 
Get/Give Clear & Proper Instructions: When working amongst immediate hazards, it's important to have a clear line of communication. Whether you're giving or receiving instructions, make sure that those instructions are communicated effectively and provided in written or printed format if necessary. One wrong move can cost a life; people rely on the instruction of others to be sound.
 
Focus on the Smaller Picture: While the term safety is often generalized, it's important to pay attention to the small details. While major safety concerns are always important, it's equally important to never overlook the small dangers as they can tend to add up quickly.
 
Encourage Awareness: Whether you're an employee or an employer, it's important that everyone on the job is aware of any hazards. Encourage your employees or coworkers to report safety hazards to management in an effort to prevent injury or death. An employee should never be afraid to communicate legitimate safety concerns.
 
Don't Take Shortcuts: If taking a shortcut increases the risk of possible injury, don't do it. Don't attempt to complete any task or job with any less protections in place than you normally would. One time is all it takes for a lack of proper procedure to cost a life.
 
Maintain Machinery: The importance of this can't be stressed enough. The details will vary, but anything with moving parts should be cleaned, inspected, maintained and serviced on a regular basis to minimize any present dangers. Know your equipment and learn to identify warning signs. Questioning the "what if's" is a good rule when deciding if machinery requires service or attention. For example, "the part seems a bit loose but it's still working. But what if it did come apart?" Always consider a worse case scenario when questioning the importance of safety.
 
Review Safety Standards: Whatever the job may be, it's critical to review safety standards on a regular basis. This is especially true when new employees are present. Review as a group and encourage teamwork when it comes to preventing accidents. Ensure that everyone understands the risks and knows how to identify potential hazards.
 
We understand that most people know their job well but it's critical that EVERYONE knows their job well in order to ensure a safer and more efficient workplace. Please, don't wait until it's too late. Accidents will happen, but any accident that can be prevented isn't an accident after all.