Close the Safety Gaps in Your Workplace

Mind the Gap: 5 Tips to Close Safety Gaps in Your Workplace, Today.

Whether you are just starting out, or a seasoned professional, one thing is certain. You have gaps, maybe you’re not aware of them, and that’s ok. The goal of a continuous improvement program is to identify gaps and fix them. Read on to see 5 tips to close the safety gaps in your workplace. Are there any you currently practice? Depending on your execution, these tips can greatly reduce a worker’s opportunity for injury, in turn, better protecting your staff, reputation, and finances.

How do you “Mind the Gaps” in your business?

Gap Filler #1: PPE Fitting

Does it sound simple? Maybe. Perhaps to simple. This practice is rooted in the belief that people come in different shapes and sizes. Particularly faces…If you are only issuing one style of safety glasses for all staff, regardless of how well they protect a person’s face…you’ve just guaranteed yourself an eye injury.

Lots of manufacturers and distributors are willing to come out and walk you through “Fitting” procedure and supply different kinds of PPE. Often you’ll find that the alternatives are cheaper and fit better as well. Check out this quick video on how to fit safety glasses.

Gap Filler #2: Promote Wellness, at Work and Home

Seriously. You want to lower your injury rates and increase your productivity? Healthy, active people are injured less, and more productive. Educate your workforce on “Wellness”. Engage crews in a culture of “At Home Fitness Challenges” through “Strava” and in warm-up and stretching programs at the start of every shift. You can take it a step further by approaching a local gym, or app provider and getting discounts, or subsidies for your employees. (Think under armor “My Fitness Pal”, “Weight Watchers” or “NOOM” Apps).

Many gyms and apps are excited for the additional clientele and will offer discounts to your team free of charge.

Gap Filler #3: Reduce Transmission Opportunities

One of the primary risks of transmission for COVID and other sicknesses is through surface contact. If your staff fill out paperwork – be it paper hazard assessments or equipment inspection sheets, they are passing their little germies to the next person in line. And if you stack your paper on a desk prior to turnover, every single piece has become part of the problem.

Check out this quick video on COVID transmission. Eww.

Gap Filler #4: Communication Plan

Engage your teams with a 2-way communication plan. It involves confirmation that the message sent was received and interpreted as intended. Part of an effective communication plan is to confirming the message has been received and understood. Sadly, many struggle with the first step – just ensuring messages get from the top of the organization, to the bottom. In situations where signoff from employees is required (lets say an update to a drug & alcohol policy) , we struggle to gain traction because of the nature of paperwork…its literally lost, and often not found. Check out Bastions video on our paperless document handling (with 2-way communication built in) here:

Gap Filler #5: Use Guided Site & Equipment Inspections

The “assumption” is a common error in the workplace. Think in terms of assuming that everyone has the same level of knowledge. If you put the wrong person on a rigging or high voltage project, the results could be disastrous. You can apply the same logic to someone’s familiarity with your organization’s safety procedures, or equipment. In order to overcome this snag, partner new workers or inspectors with seasoned workers to perform “Guided Inspections” until they show competency in carrying out your safety and equipment inspections. A seasoned worker will be able to carry out the competency evaluation throughout their time together, and you’ll end up with another worker who can support your process, right down to the details.