No matter what the business is, safety should be a top priority. Creating a work environment that is hazard-free will allow your employees to work efficiently with less distractions and possibilities for accidents. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, also known as OSHA, has created a list of guidelines to follow to ensure a safer workplace. These guidelines will not only help in the prevention of job related injuries, but it can also prepare employees and business owners in times of emergency.
Taking time to ensure that your business is following OSHA standards not only helps keep accidents and injuries to a minimum, but it also helps prevent any personal injury lawsuits. These lawsuits can not only hurt the reputation of a business, but can also save lots of money in court costs and settlements. According to www.perecman.com if your business does get sued by a customer or employee, it is in your best interest to hire a personal injury attorney who is established in this area of law to help you with your case.
Below are some tips to ensure that your business is correctly following OSHA standards:
Perform Regular Inspections
Take the time to inspect your business on a regular basis and write down any possible safety hazards that you might see. Once you have made your list, start by getting the most hazardous things fixed and work your way through the list. If you need to, bring in a maintenance worker to get the hazards addressed. You can also call your local city fire marshal to get your business inspected to make sure that your building is up to code. They will also be able to provide you a list of things that need to be either fixed or replaced.
Check Fire Extinguishers And Chemical Products
Fire extinguishers need to be updated each year using a certified extinguishing company. They will replace any that are expired or broken. You can also create a material safety data sheet that lists all chemicals and cleaning products that are used in your building. The list can provide all of the ingredients, health risks and other hazards associated with each chemical agent. The material safety data sheet will also need to be updated on a regular basis.
Create An Emergency Plan
Having an emergency plan in place can keep a bad situation from turning into a worse situation. The most important emergency plan that needs to be established is an evacuation route. The route might differ depending on the emergency. The plan should be simple to follow and easy to understand. During an emergency, there should also be easy access to first-aid kits and a list of all employees with information about who to contact for them during the emergency.
Keep Workplace Sanitary
An easy guideline to follow to make sure your business is following OSHA standards is to keep your workplace clean. Keep all restrooms and break rooms clean and sanitary. Take care of any issue areas that are hazardous or unfit for your employees to use. In small areas, be sure that there are no large objects such as mirrors or pictures that can fall on any of your employees.
OSHA’s guidelines are set in place to ensure that both employees and employers can work together to establish a safe and hazard-free workplace. It is extremely important for any business to follow these guidelines to save themselves from personal injury lawsuits or even thousands to millions of dollars in fines.
Katie Hewatt is a business owner and contributing author for New York personal injury law firm Perecman, PLLC (www.perecman.com). Perceman Law Firm was established in 1983 by David Perecman and has since won over $200 million in settlements and verdicts for their clients. The attorneys at Perecman, PLLC recommend that a business follow OSHA standards to avoid lawsuits; on the other hand, if you find your business up against a lawsuit do not hesitate to contact the firm for a free consultation.