Health & Safety for Startups: Things you Should be Doing

Every business, no matter what size, should take the time to implement health and safety in the workplace. If you’re a startup and perhaps a little confused about what you should be doing exactly, we’re here to help you! Read on to find out exactly what you should be doing in regards to health and safety:

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Risk Profiles

The first step for any employer who wants to take the proper health and safety measures is to identify the businesses risk profile. A risk profile will look at the kind of threats there are present in the business, how serious they are, how likely they are to happen, the consequences that could happen if the risk occurs and the effectiveness of the measures your business is taking to control the risk.

Once you have all of your risks identified you can then prioritise them. You shouldn’t necessarily be thinking about the worst case scenario here, simply what is most likely to happen. If you feel you need help with tasks such as this you can get health and safety consultations from companies such as Merebrook.co.uk.

Employee Consultations

It can sometimes be a legal requirement to have an employee health and safety consultation, but even if it isn’t you should do it anyway. Find out just how your employees complete their daily tasks so that you can completely understand the risks they might encounter and how they can combat them.

Have A Fire Safety Policy

Be sure that you have a fire safety policy in place, and have an evac diagram made which clearly outlines the procedure taken in the event of a fire, evacuation plans and fire exits. Evacuation plans should be practiced at least once a year!

Keeping Records

Accidents and claims can happen no matter what your current situation, so even if you only have a few employees it’s wise to keep records of your health and safety measures.

Ensuring Your Staff Are Competent

By law, an employer needs to have competent health and safety advice. It is important that everyone who you work with is at least aware of how they can complete their daily tasks safely without hurting anybody.

If you have any vulnerable workers on site, for example young people, you will need to take the right precautions in making sure they are properly supervised.

The actual level of first aid measures you’ll need to take depend on the amount of staff you have and the level of risk that is associated with the activities you carry out. You might just need an appropriate first aid box for a very small business, with someone who makes sure that it is kept updated. On the other hand, you might need to make sure there is a first aid trained member of staff on site at all times.

Keeping It Tidy

Keeping your workplace tidy may sound obvious, but simply clearing away a bit of mess can reduce your potential hazards substantially.

You should do everything you can to ensure your startup is as safe as possible!