Top 10 Workplace Safety Tips Every Employee Should Know

Workplace health and safety is important for every organization, no matter how big or small. Employers have legal and moral obligations to keep their employees safe. But workplace safety is everyone’s responsibility. Communicating safety tips at the workplace to employees can help to ensure everyone is safe.

Top 10 safety tips for the workplace

These are ten of the most important safety tips for the workplace to create a safe environment. These work safety tips should be communicated with your employees regularly, for example by pop-up notifications using DeskAlerts, to create a culture of safety:

1. Understand risks

Every work environment is different and these will vary from industry to industry and from job site to job site. It’s critical that employees understand the inherent risks that come with a particular job so they can take the proper steps necessary to avoid injury. Particularly if working with dangerous equipment or in a hazardous environment.

2. Be aware of your surroundings at all time

This builds on the previous point of understanding risks – but requires employees to always be aware of what is going on around them and to look for hazards constantly.

3. Know where the first aid kit/officer are

If someone requires first aid, do your employees know how to access it in the workplace? Ensure your staff know where the first aid kit is and if you have a designated first aid officer, ensure they know who that person is so they can get assistance should they need it.

4. Taking regular breaks

Many workplace injuries happen as a result of an employee being tired or burned out. By taking regular breaks, employees can stay fresh on the job.

5. Always using equipment properly

When machines and tools are used in the workplace, employees should always take proper precautions, never take shortcuts and never use the equipment for purposes other than what is intended. By doing so, the risk of workplace injury is greatly reduced.

6. Pay attention to signage

Signage is placed to indicate that there could be a potential hazard in the area and includes important information about maintaining a safe work environment.

7. Know where emergency exits are

All employees should understand where they should safely exit the workplace in the event of an evacuation.

10 emergency message templates

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8. Keep emergency exist accessible

Because employees need to access exits quickly in the event of an emergency, it is imperative that these be kept clear. Nothing should be placed in front of the exits that would block them or impede them from opening.

9. Reporting unsafe conditions

Employees should know how to report unsafe conditions so management can quickly address any safety risks or hazards.

10. Wear correct safety equipment

Every employee has a responsibility to ensure they are wearing proper protective equipment that will enable them to safely carry out their job.

The importance of effective safety communications

Good communication is essential to ensure that employees understand the safety requirements they must abide by in the workplace. This will help to build a safety culture where people speak up about potential hazards and understand the role that they have in keeping themselves and their colleagues safe.

Ensuring that you get employees’ attention can be challenging in the modern workplace: there are so many competing sources of information these days that people don’t have time to pay attention to everything. If you send all your safety messages by email or put them on the intranet, there’s a very high likelihood your employees will miss them.

If you’re looking for more reliable ways to cut through the digital noise in the workplace and ensure that your safety messaging reaches your employees, DeskAlerts has you covered.

DeskAlerts is an internal communication software system that uses different channels and tools and is designed to be more intrusive, and bypass the email system.

You can use DeskAlerts to send innovative communication material and office safety tips that employees will be sure to notice. Including:

•       Pop-up notifications that appear on screens
•       Corporate screensavers, lock screen messages and desktop wallpapers
•       Scrolling desktop ticker messages.

DeskAlerts can also be used to send colorful graphic displays to any digital screen in your organization, enabling you to display your safety messages wherever there is a screen on your premises – such as safety tips for the office, the factory, the warehouse, etc.

Learn more about how to use digital signage for emergency alerts.

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Ensuring the safety of employees is critical for any organization. Get in touch with us today for a free demo to find out how DeskAlerts can be used to overhaul the safety communications in your workplace.

FAQ

What are the 10 rules for workplace safety?

The 10 rules for workplace safety are:

• Always be aware of your surroundings
• Ensure you have the correct posture for back and neck protection
• Make sure you take regular breaks
• Always operate machines, tools and other equipment properly
• Always ensure emergency exits are clear and accessible
• Report hazards to your supervisor
• Use equipment that is designed to assist reduce injuries wherever possible
• Do not drink or use drugs
• Take steps to reduce stress in the workplace
• Always wear correct safety or personal protective equipment

Do and don'ts of safety rules?

When it comes to workplace safety, these are the things you should and should not do:

• Do provide safety education to your staff
• Don’t take shortcuts when following safety procedures
• Do always ensure you are aware of your surroundings
• Don’t be quiet about unsafe workplace conditions
• Do encourage your staff to take regular breaks
• Don’t block any emergency exits
• Do ensure that people are wearing protective equipment.

What is the best safety tip?

The best safety tip for the office is to always be aware of what is happening around you so that you can react appropriately if something dangerous should happen.

Why is workplace safety so important?

Employers have a legal obligation to provide a safe workplace for their employees. A safe workplace ensures that employees have a low risk of being injured or becoming ill while they are at work.