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A safe workplace isn’t just about trying to avoid problems as much as possible and knowing where the first aid kit lives – what you really want is to create an environment that’s a space where people can feel physically, mentally, and emotionally secure. In other words, a place where they can do their best work without worrying about hazards, burnout, or accidental run-ins with any obstacles that shouldn’t even be there in the first place. With that in mind, how do you make the workplace safe in every sense of the word? Keep reading to find out. 

Safety First

If your idea of workplace safety is crossing your fingers and hoping for the best, you’re being very risky, and not in a good way. Real safety means planning ahead, preparing for the worst, and making sure your team knows what to do when things go wrong (all the while, hoping they never do). 

One good place to start is with fire risk assessments. It might not be something you think about all that often, and that’s fine – once you’ve got a professional risk assessment in place, you won’t generally have to think about it again until you need to use it or things change and you need a new one. But the fact is, this kind of assessment could literally save lives because it helps to spot problems, offers solutions, and ensures everyone knows how to get out safely should the worst happen. 

Mental Health Matters Too

A truly safe workplace isn’t just about protecting people in a physical way, no matter how important that’s always going to be. It’s about mental wellbeing as well because after all, stressed, overwhelmed employees aren’t going to be doing their best work, and neither are they going to be very happy in the workplace, and those things are going to lead to a less successful business (plus, taking care of people is just the right thing to do). 

That’s why you need to make sure your workplace does what it can to support mental health. That could include making sure everyone is open and honest about how they feel (no one should feel guilty for needing a mental health day), and offering plenty of flexibility (which could mean flexible hours, working from home, or hybrid working). Plus, you’ll want to make sure everyone knows they can and should take breaks instead of trying to just keep working through and heading towards burnout when they do. 

An Inclusive Space 

A workplace needs to feel welcoming for everyone, no matter what their age is, their abilities, or their backgrounds. That means making sure your office is as inclusive as possible, which means a variety of different things, like ensuring you’ve got access ramps, lifts, and ergonomic workstations, and being free from discrimination and toxic behaviour. 

In the end, you’ll want to create a workplace where people feel heard, respected, and valued, and if you can do that, you’ll have a business that can be successful, where people want to work, and where you’ve got a fantastic reputation.