As an employer, you need to make sure that your staffs, as well as clients are safely kept away from harm. Especially in the cleaning business, which involves the use of tall ladders and spillage of water is inevitable, accidents may happen. We often have the idea that accidents happen just out of bad luck and that it just happens without anyone to blame. But beware, this “just out of bad luck” accidents often cost employers thousands of dollars in hospital fees. Also, this causes staff shortage which can cause delays in work and a possibility of customers pulling out jobs assigned to you.
If, all our lives, we may have believed that there is nothing that we can do about accidents, it’s time to realize that we can always prevent accidents from happening. As employers, you must need to take all the precautionary measures needed in order to ensure safety. This can be beneficial for all, both the employer and the staff. The employers can save a lot of money from hospital costs on the other hand, the staff will then be safe, and prevent accidents from happening which is such a hassle.
There are certain factors which have been identified that may cause accidents to happen in a work area: these are lack of training for safety, flooring, improper footwear used and lack of sign in hazard areas.
* The most effective way of preventing accidents from happening is by placing “safety signs” in danger zones. This is very important since people do not really notice a wet floor immediately. The more signs used the better. They need to be warned beforehand so as to prevent accidents. Placement of these signs are not really specific, as long as you put them is places that can be seen.
* There are different kinds of safety signs depending on the hazard present. The most commonly used, or even the only existing one which we recognize are the floor signs. These are used to inform people if usually floors are wet after mopping. Effective signage usually needs to be knee-length, with bright colors used, yellow is recommended.
* Safety cones are used for minimal spillage, just as “warning” signs for the people to keep away from the area until the spills have been taken care of. A practical sign are the over-the-spill pads, which are lightweight, made out of propylene material which is very absorbent. This is very handy since it can do two jobs at once. First is it cleans the spills at the same time warning the people to stay away from there.
* Besides slipping, falling from high areas can also cause the worst injuries in the workplace. Cleaning in high areas usually involve the use of ladders. There are some guidelines that must be remembered when using ladders for cleaning. Ladders that are used must be appropriate for the cleaning job. Make sure that the ladders are of the right height and are in a good condition, making sure that the steps are secured. Always check if the ladders are in good working condition.
* Heights more than 6 feet are quite alarming and care must taken. You may want to have an assistant to hold the ladder as you work on higher areas. The right angle must be used. That is, a foot spread for every four feet length of ladder length. This is really important since too small or large ladder angles can result to an unstable ladder causing imbalance, which can lead to falling.
* The spreaders of the ladders must be locked in place. Climbing a ladder especially for higher ones, two hands must be used. If toolboxes or other equipment are needed to be used, make sure that these are in a tool belt.
* Never ever carry large equipment while going up a ladder. Weights must be centered in between the ladder handles and never overreach. Check for grease or any substance in the sole of the shoes that may cause slipping when climbing the ladders.
* Never ever lean on ladders to reach the other side. The best way is to move the ladder. It may be much of a hassle since it adds to the work, but safety is more important so a little effort won’t hurt.
* When working in an area with a lot of people, caution cones must be used to warn them from falling debris. It is also advised not to use electrical wires when dealing with electrical fixtures.
* Lastly, never ever panic when climbing up a ladder, concentrate when going up, especially when working up.
* When using ladders, care must really be taken. Use ladders only on flat surfaces to avoid wobbling.
* Storage must also be taken seriously. Storage of ladders must be proper, taking into consideration that it might fall on someone. Most importantly, it must be kept in mind that it can have a tripping hazard, that not only people working can be harmed by this.
Safety in the workplace is the responsibility of both the employer and the staff. Employers, besides from making sure there are safety signs available, must hold safety seminars and training for the employees.
The cleaning staff must know how to use ladders properly too. It helps to know what will must they do in case of accident-inducing events happen. The employees must then attend to these safety precautions, they must act quickly so what is right should these happen.
Also, additional written guidelines can also help the employees to be reminded to keep safe in all the jobs they are doing. Ensuring safety in the workplace can be rewarding. It can even save you and your company from a lawsuit.
Accidents can be prevented; we must all work together and cooperate in order to have a safe environment. This can work to our advantage because all of us can be victims of carelessness. We just need to be prepared and prevent this from happening. This can save us all the hassle from being hurt in accidents and still continue with our daily lives.
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