Various accidents can happen in the workplace, such as burns and scalds, broken bones, painful sprains, eye injuries, or exposure to toxic fumes or substances.
It doesn’t matter if you run a construction site or an office; incidents can happen that can pose a minor, serious, or fatal injury.
As the business owner or a line manager, it is your responsibility to prevent accidents from happening and protect employees as much as possible on-site.
Your employees must respond to an incident with the appropriate tools and training in an emergency, too. Ensure they can do so by reading the following first-aid tips for workplace safety.
Keep a Fully Stocked First Aid Kit
Every business, regardless of its industry, has a legal requirement to keep a workplace first aid kit on site.
It will provide its employees with access to various medical supplies if they sustain an injury or develop an illness on the premises.
Different first aid kits are available for specific industries, ensuring a business owner can effectively care for their staff following common workplace injuries or illnesses.
For example, you will find many office first aid kits from seton.co.uk to help you successfully care for your team when necessary.
Of course, you might want to add additional items to suit your business. The law doesn’t provide a list of mandatory first aid supplies, but it could include:
- A guidance leaflet
- Assorted plasters
- Triangular bandages
- Safety pins
- Wounds dressings
- Sterile ocular pads
- Gloves
A business owner must inform all employees where the first aid kit is located, ensuring they will have access to the supplies when needed. Also, they should know who is responsible for the first aid equipment and procedures.
Test Emergency Procedures
Workplaces of all sizes should have emergency procedures in place, which a business owner or managers must routinely test, evaluate, and adjust when necessary.
For example, you must plan where and how staff can access rescue equipment, such as a first aid kit or emergency lighting.
Consider what to do when a serious accident or illness occurs in the workplace, such as how an alarm will be raised.
You may need to plan essential actions during an incident, such as an emergency plant shutdown.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) states that work must not resume following an emergency if a danger remains.
Ensure a Trained First Aider is On-site at All Times
Depending on your industry, you may need a fully trained first aider in the workplace at all times, especially if there are one or more dangerous hazards on site.
Some workplaces, such as offices and shops, often only need a first-aid supervisor (an appointed person) and a first aid kit on the premises, as employees and visitors are unlikely to encounter dangerous hazards, such as toxic chemicals, falls from height, or moving machinery.
Call Emergency Services When Needed
Of course, if an injury or illness is serious, you must not delay contacting the emergency services.
Never delay in calling if you suspect someone’s life might be at risk, if they appear seriously ill, or have been involved in a serious accident.
Record the Accident or Illness
All employers must record all injuries and illnesses that occur on-site in an accident book.
Provide details of the incident, including the time, date, location, the injury or illness, and its severity.
Also, you must make a note of the action taken, such as administering first aid or causing the emergency services.
Conclusion
Accidents can happen in any business and any industry. For instance, an office worker could scald themselves in a communal kitchen or trip over an electrical wire, or a retail employee or visitor could slip on a spillage or an object could fall on their head from a height.
You cannot predict when an injury will occur, but you can take steps to ensure your business provides appropriate, immediate care when needed.
Protect employees and visitors by keeping a first aid kit on site, testing emergency procedures, and ensuring a first aider is always on the premises if needed.
Don’t hesitate to call emergency services if an employee or visitor appears seriously ill or injured and remember to record the incident in an accident report book.