Injuries in the workplace can be life changing or fatal, which is why it’s so important they are avoided at all costs. But as well as the risk to life, work accidents are a costly business, with the ability to put a company in financial trouble should a worker claim that poor health and safety practices were to blame for their accident. Therefore, it’s important you are prepared for such an occasion and can handle everything your workplace throws at you and your workforce.

Here’s what you need to do to protect your business and your workforce from workplace accidents:

The correct training, regularly

It’s so important your staff are regularly updated when it comes to processes and working with special equipment while on the job. Whether your workforce is operating pneumatic drills or lifting boxes, it’s a good idea to book in regular training to ensure your staff have the right knowledge and confidence to get the job done safely.

The training you provide will vary and depend upon your industry and sometimes just a refresher session is needed, but whatever you do, ensure this time is logged and you have a record of people participating.

The right PPE (Personal Protective Equipment)

If your workforce are completing jobs in hazardous conditions or with dangerous equipment, the right PPE can save lives. As an employer, it is your legal duty to obtain high quality, effective PPE – experts such as Safeaid are a good place to source this from. Whether it’s protective face masks when working in dusty conditions or hard hats for protection from on site from debris, ensure you supply what is needed.

Ensure there are also strict repercussions for those who do not adhere to PPE requirements: this will lower the chances of incidents occurring due to workers not wearing the right protective clothing.

Up to date risk assessments

Risk assessments protect you as a business from a legal perspective, and also flag up issues for you to fix to ensure the safety of your staff and premises itself. You must conduct these yourself and keep them on file to refer to later.

First aider on hand at all times

You should have at least two first aiders in your office to ensure that if one person is away, the other can cover them should an accident occur. These people are usually volunteers, but it is essential they are provided with the correct first aid training for your industry. As an employer, under the Health and Safety Regulations 1981, you must also provide adequate equipment to ensure people can receive immediate care if they are injured in the workplace.

What you need to do in the event of a workplace accident

• Offer immediate attention to the injured employee(s).
• Seek further medical attention if necessary – call an ambulance or assist them in reaching the nearest medical walk in centre.
• Ensure any injury is recorded in an ‘accident book’ and that everyone else in the workplace is safe.
• Ask witnesses to recount the accident and provide statements to refer to later.
• Put together an inventory of what was involved in the accident. Do not throw away anything that caused injury as this may be needed to be inspected later.
• Put a risk assessment in place to conduct once the investigation is over, ensuring nothing similar can happen in the future.
• Provide everything asked for if the employee makes a claim against you to allow any investigation to run smoothly.

Sometimes, no matter how many protocols and regulations are in place, accidents happen. However, preparation is key and understanding exactly what to do should something arise will ensure your business is protected and workforce is kept safe.