In order to create the safest workspace possible, sometimes it is all about what you need to stop doing. To assist you, Arbill has created a list of the 10 things you need to avoid as they may be hindering safety at your company. 

1. Quick Hiring: Hiring workers to fill an immediate vacancy may seem like a good idea especially if your company is pressed for time with an approaching deadline; how

ever quick hiring decisions often lead to rushed vetting to meet a looming work deadline. Slowing down the hiring process allows you more time to get to know your potential employee and decide if the person in front of you would actually be a good addition for your company.

2. Rushed Training: Properly training your employees allows you more time to foster the ideals your company values whether those ideas be safety, accuracy, timeliness, or quality control. Slowing down the training process will be more beneficial to your company in the future. Having the proper training will also reduce accidents and injuries.

3. Lack of Communication: A lack of communication with employees in the workplace can be potentially deadly. Luckily a lack of communication in the workplace has an easy fix"communicate.

Below are a few ways your company can combat a lack of communication:

• Monthly Meetings: Monthly Meetings can cover anything from general housekeeping notes to detail-specific notes on the company's performance. The overall purpose of monthly meetings is to increase the dialogue within your company and allow for all your employees to voice their concerns and feel heard in their workplace.
• Toolbox Talks: Much like monthly meetings, Toolbox Talks aid companies with their internal communication. Toolbox Talks allow for employees to discuss potential safety hazards and allow management to nip the hazards in the bud before the accidents occur. Regularly occurring Toolbox Talks will save your company money and add an extra layer of protection for the employees. Toolbox Talks can transpire as frequently as you and your company deem necessary, however Arbill recommends weekly Toolbox Talks to make sure there are no health or safety problems in your company. If you're unsure how to lead toolbox talks or good areas to cover please refer to our blogpost on toolbox talks.

4.  Clutter: Having clutter around the workspace and generally not keeping a clean house leads to unnecessary, and avoidable accidents, like trips, slips, and falls, which can have deadly consequences. Having a clutter-fee workspace will reduce the number of workplace accidents your company has which will save your company money in the future.

5.  Lack of Safety Plan: It is imperative workplaces have safety plans in place in case working conditions become unsafe unexpectedly. Have your employees practice how to relocate themselves to a safe place in case of fire, heat, or chemical emergencies. Your employees should be able to:

• Identify emergency exits
• Have an established escape route
• Know who to contact if a situation goes awry
• Stay calm
• Take control of the situation

6.  Bare Walls: Color codes, posters, labels, and signs that warn employees of potential hazards and how to combat them should the situation turn dire is an excellent, easy way to promote safety in the workplace. Workplaces without warning or general safety signs are more susceptible to preventable accidents. Additionally, safety signs spread the message quickly and efficiently while also reflecting your company's commitment to safety. Furthermore signs, along with decreasing the number of workplace accidents, also boost safety consciousness, which will help your workplace become safer every day.

7.  Demonizing Safety: As an employer, you should strive to make safety and safe situations seem not only extremely necessary, but also fun. The more positive a person's outlook on a situation, the more likely that person is to comply with the situation. Fostering safety is necessary in the workplace and making safety fun is easy and beneficial. Consider having your company create or sponsor safety themed trivia, quizzes, and humorous safety videos detailing how workers should and should not behave in varying situations. Making safety fun increases the chances of your employees and coworkers staying engaged and retaining the information. Additionally, hosting a fun safety event will build relationships between your workers and foster an overall sense of community in your workplace.

8. Using Too Much Force: To keep your workplace ergonomically safe, it is imperative your workers avoid jobs that put unnecessary strain on the body. If your employees end up performing jobs that are potential ergonomic hazards they should perform the job with their health and body limitations in mind. Inform your employees of the following ergonomic hazards:

• Improperly adjusted workstations and chairs
• Frequent lifting
• Poor posture
• Constant awkward movements
• Frequent force
• Vibration

9.  Lack of Reporting Unsafe Behaviors: Enforcing or pressuring employees to let unsafe behavior go unreported aids in the destruction of safety culture and sends the message that employees can get away with unsafe behaviors with little to no punishment. This mindset is extraordinarily dangerous on the job and may cost someone their life.

10.  Alcohol and Drugs Abuse: Workers being under the influence while at work account for roughly 3 percent of all fatalities that occur on the job. Employers must have a clear, strict, heavily enforced policy to combat drug and alcohol abuse on the job. When an employee handling heavy machinery is not in the right state of mind an everyday task becomes deadly to all those around them.

Arbill is a safety solutions company. We are all about protecting your workers in the workplace. Our mission is to keep workers safe and return them home safely at the end of the day. Visit arbill.com for more information about being safe and subscribe to Safer Every Day, the definitive digital magazine for workplace safety.