5 Life Hacks to Instantly Make Your Workplace Safer

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a life hack is defined as: A strategy or technique adopted in order to manage one’s time and daily activities in a more efficient way. As occupational safety professionals, one of the most common criticisms of health and safety we hear is that it takes too long and slows down productivity…

Of course we know that nothing could be further from the truth, as according to the HSE, work-related illness and injury are responsible for an astonishing 27 million lost working days each year – a colossal waste of both time and money! That’s where these ‘life hacks’ come in.

Designed to increase both efficiency and workplace safety, even the most grizzled cynic will have to agree that these small tweaks to your systems could have potentially huge impacts. Let us know how you get on in the comments below, and be sure to share any ‘life hacks’ of your own that have made your workplace a safer place for everyone!

Encourage reverse parking

If you have a car park at work, then why not encourage staff to reverse park? Of course this will depend on the layout of your car park, but in general reversing into a static parking bay is safer than reversing out into a road or car park, it helps to improve visibility and reduces the risk of collisions with traffic and pedestrians. If some of your workers are concerned about their parking abilities, you could also consider a driver development course, specifically designed to help improve the all-round confidence and safety of driving.

Be aware of the danger of personal phone chargers

A recent study of phone chargers showed a sharp increase in the number of incidents being reported about faulty electrical goods, particularly fake, cheap and unbranded chargers – many of which fail to meet UK safety regulations and can lead to electric shock, injury and fires. Under the The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989, all workplaces are legally obliged to ensure electrical equipment is ‘maintained in a condition suitable for that use’ – and as a result many workplaces spend a fortune ensuring their electrical equipment is PAT tested. By allowing employees to bring in untested chargers from home, you may be leaving your organisation open to unnecessary risks. As a compromise you might consider purchasing a few properly maintained ‘company chargers’ for everyone to use. Remember, the safest option is always to switch off the socket and pull the charger out when not in use.

Read Full Article At Rospaworkplacesafety.com

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