How to improve employee safety in a business

by Startacus Admin
Ensuring your employees are safe in the workplace is a must. Here are a few of the best ways that you can do just that.
Whether you have a team of ten or a team of a hundred, ensuring staff safety is vital for business. According to latest figures from HSE, 142 workers were killed in work accidents in 2020/21, with agricultural, forestry and fishing, and construction sectors being the most dangerous. Employers have a duty of care to protect staff, from not only physical harm, but mental harm too.
Of course, employees also have a part to play in workplace safety, but this can only be achieved if there is a good relationship between employee and employer. The benefits of making safety a priority not only positively affects the employee’s quality of work, but it can increase productivity and staff retention; all of which have an impact on the bottom line.
Workplace training
One of the best ways to improve employee safety is by providing ongoing workplace training. Inadequate training is one of the main contributing factors for employee injury and even death. Implementing a training programme for not only new starters, but for long-standing employees to attend refresher courses is essential.
After training, employee feedback can help employers ascertain what parts of the training is missing and how it can be improved upon.
Ongoing assessments and inspections
One you have a robust health and safety policy in place that sets out the responsibilities of the employer and employee, it’s important you carry out regular risk assessments. This will help you evaluate your workplace and where any potential hazards can be found that could impact the safety and security of your staff and business.
Comfortable surroundings
Employee surroundings can have a huge impact on employee safety. From ensuring they have the correct office set-up with regards to supportive chairs and screen height to installing anti-fatigue mats, like these offered here, which should be available to staff who spend the majority of their day standing.
Making the work environment more comfortable can have a long-term positive impact on employee’s health.
Open communication
In order for employees to feel safe and secure at work they must feel like they are able to talk openly and honestly with their employer and team members. That way, if health and safety issues arise, you know you will be informed as soon as possible, and you can therefore affect a change.
You should also encourage your employees to share their own ideas about how to improve health and safety. This can be done anonymously or during 121 monthly catchups.
Encourage mental health support
In recent years we’ve seen a marked increase in mental health-related sickness absence, with Mind finding that one in six people report experiencing mental health problems in any given week. Implementing a robust mental health support system is therefore essential for safeguarding employees.
In fact, under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, employers are legally required to protect employee mental health. This can be anything from stress and depression to anxiety or another condition.
Subscribe to our newsletter
If you would like to receive our startup themed newsletter, full of the latest startup opportunities, events, news, stories, tips and advice, then sign up here.
WeWALK, RNIB, and ICL consortium secures UKRI funding to improve mobility for visually impaired and elderly.

The impact of standards, ethics and conduct on business success and profits - Work.Life has some interesting insights...

The lowdown on Space32 - the startup that wants to help hybrid-working businesses find the working space and solution that's right for them.

Global Tech for Good initiative seeks innovative startups and scaleups that are creating positive social impact and enhancing people's lives through tech.

The lowdown on Bidnamic, the startup that's combining advance machine learning with human expertise to help retailers to maximise revenue and profitability from Google Shopping.

Innovative Czech fintech startup 4Trans raises investment to expand first of its type AI driven factoring services across Europe.

Edinburgh-based life science company Cytomos secures funding to support further development of its innovative cell analysis tech.

Ethical Equity and Streets Consulting join forces to deliver Founder Workshop to help close the inequality gap in startup to scaleup funding.

Fancy being featured in this year’s SmallBiz100, which showcases the best of Britain’s vibrant small business community? There's just a couple of days left to do just that!

Screenloop secures major investment to support further development of its AI-driven recruitment platform that helps companies build the best teams and removes unconscious bias.
Published on: 17th September 2021
If you would like to enable commenting via your Startacus account, please enable Disqus functionality in your Account Settings.







- Assistive technology innovators and partners awarded £1.7m project funding 1st Jul 2022 WeWALK, RNIB, and ICL consortium secures UKRI funding to improve mobility for visually impaired and elderly.
- How the pandemic affected each industry 27th Jun 2022 New research from School of Marketing reveals the impact that Covid-19 has had on key business sectors in the UK.
- The Finalists of DBACE 2022 are revealed 21st Jun 2022 The lowdown on the innovative young visionaries that are in the running for this year's Deutsche Bank Awards for Creative Entrepreneurs.
- OKAPI: Orbits raises €5.5m for Breakthrough Space Traffic Management Software 13th Jun 2022 Innovative German SaaS startup OKAPI:Orbits secures investment to support its mission of securing efficient and safe operations in space.