Involve the team, evolve your systems.
Tuesday 15 July 2014, 10:05AM
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Establishing systems and procedures in the workplace is one thing; implementing them is another thing altogether. The effectiveness of any workplace policy relies on ‘buy-in’ from staff at all levels, and Health & Safety is no different.
A Health and Safety policy isn’t just a box ticking exercise – it’s a vital tool for keeping your employees safe, streamlining the way your operation runs, and protecting your business from costly mistakes and delays.
That means your Health and Safety protocols need to be practical, and the only way to really understand how your systems impact those on the ground is by encouraging their input. Your staff will have different points of view than your management team. They’ll provide valuable insights into how things are currently operating, and how things can be improved to not only enhance safety, but efficiency and productivity as well. By seeking their input you’ll be able to develop systems that fulfill your legal obligations and provide functional solutions to real problems.
Being receptive to both their concerns, and their ideas, will also make your workers feel more valued. Nothing fosters loyalty faster than an employer who genuinely cares about the wellbeing of their staff.
If you welcome involvement from your team when establishing policies you’ll find they take ownership of them once them come into practice. The result is an environment that is, to a degree, self-regulating; where staff at all levels share the responsibility of creating a safe and healthy workplace.
If you want your staff to provide honest and regular feedback you need to make it easy for them to do so. If documenting incidences, making regular reports or offering suggestions is an onerous task you’ll never create the open forum you’re looking to nurture.
Assura, the Health and Safety Management software designed to make light work of your obligations as a responsible employer, solves this by providing a user-friendly ‘portal’ for your staff. Workers can access the interface from tablets and laptops without having to log-in, making it incredibly quick to report safety observations, near misses and relevant incidences.
It will also help you manage ACC WSMP compliance and navigate the new Health and Safety in Employment Act, to be introduced in April 2015 following the recent Health and Safety Reform Bill.
By inviting input from your team, and making it as easy as possible for them to provide it, you’ll soon find you have the insights necessary to create robust health and safety policies, and the buy-in necessary to implement them.
For more information about Assura and how it can help you manage workplace Health and Safety visit our website.