Every day, employees operate in work environments that pose a direct threat to their safety. The threat may be against their health or against their physical well-being. Their safety is preserved by the safety measures adopted by their employers. Employee safety is a crucial element of job satisfaction. Every employer should, therefore, aim at providing their workers with an environment conducive to working.
Insurance Cover
Industrial plants are required by law to place their workers under an insurance cover. The type of cover may vary depending on the nature of the production activities. For example, a coal plant may consider taking out a group cancer insurance cover. That may not be the case for employees working in a food processing company. Employees working in a coal plant get repeat exposure to poisonous gases such as carbon monoxide and other oxides of Sulphur and nitrogen. Such gases have been known to be carcinogenic in nature. The same cover may come in handy for employees who are frequently exposed to radiation. For such workers, getting an insurance cover is not enough. The company is expected to conduct regular tests on the employees to determine their level of exposure. Any employees that record abnormally high exposure levels may then be treated.
Facility Safety
Ensuring a safe facility is an essential aspect of providing employee safety. This is regardless of the kind of production methods utilized in an industrial plant. Facility safety covers both the plant premises and the production machines utilized. In relation to machinery, any moving parts or gears require to be enclosed. This reduces the chances of accidents in the event that a worker is to fall over a machine. Imagine an unhoused grinding machine or one that has naked blades. Even the smallest of falls could turn fatal. As a result, a lot of emphasis is placed on retaining the machines covered, not unless they are being maintained. During maintenance, the technical team is always advised to unplug the machines from the power source. However, there is still a group of technicians who, due to complacency, fail to follow those maintenance safety guidelines. This puts them at risk of suffering injuries.
First Aid Training
This is critical to employee safety. All employees should be subjected to the training, regardless of the nature of their work or management level. The only difference may be the nature of the training. It should be tailored to match the requirements of a given work environment. For example, it may be counterproductive to train bank tellers in what to do in the event of gas poisoning. Instead, they may be trained in other relevant treatments. On the other hand, gas poisoning is an actual threat that faces people working in nuclear plants and even mines. Such employees may require to be trained in how to perform first aid on a colleague that gets exposed to gas poisoning.
Employers should take pride in their ability to create a safe working environment for their employees. As such, they should be willing to invest the required resources to upgrade their premises to the required safety levels.
