Editor’s Note: Here at Dispatches, we are always looking for ways to help our readers do things. For some of our readers, that means helping navigate the working world, for others, it means assisting in the ever challenging question,“what’s for dinner?” For still others, it means figuring out how to balance family life with everything else. In an effort to aid in all of these endeavors, we have collaborated on this article written specifically for our readers.
Workplace safety probably isn’t top of mind for solopreneurs, but it should still be on your radar particularly if you hope to add other workers in the future.
Changing Culture
It used to be the case that workplaces viewed health and safety like political correctness. It was an annoying fact of doing business that stifled innovation. But now employers are coming to a new view. The new view is that the workers are a company’s greatest asset and that if they get injured, that’s not just a loss to the employee, it’s a loss to the company too. Now if you walk into many working environments, you’ll likely find a more safety-conscious culture. Practically every modern company places the safety of its workers at the forefront of its operations.
Improved Safety Design
Many companies of all sizes consult with health and safety services to improve health and safety processes because employee safety isn’t just about training. There are things even solopreneurs can do to change workplace set up to maximize safety, such as desk height and chair alignment. If you have a warehouse or production line (or hope to in the future!) you can set up the process in a way that minimizes worker movement. You can also consider using robots well versed in AI and Deep Learning who can learn movement and be more careful around people. You can also consider using robots to do heavy lifting.
Maturing Safety Systems
Thanks to falls in the prices of sensors, the cost of monitoring safety has decreased in the last few years. In 2016, the cost is so low, that even small businesses can implement safety systems. We’re used to hearing the workplace vehicle reversing beeping noise, but now sensors can be deployed to shut off systems in an emergency automatically.
E-Learning
It’s never been easier to teach workers about safety in the workplace cheaply and effectively. Companies can use e-learning to train employees on-demand and refresh as necessary.