Safety is our number one priority here at Singer Safety. We understand that businesses should take all of the needed precautions to be safe in their workplace. One of the best ways to encourage safety is with a step-by-step guide. A lot of companies do not have a workplace safety manual. If they do have one, it is often outdated or way too long and complicated to read. We can help you out with creating a step-by-step guide for businesses. Read on to learn about Singer Safety’s safety manual guide and safe handling instructions.
Why are Safety Manuals Important?
Every business should have a written safety manual template. The occupational safety and health administration (OSHA) encourages all employers to make a safety guide. Putting together this guide lays out safe handling instructions is so important. It demonstrates to employees and OSHA that you’re taking proactive steps to prevent illness and injury at work.
What is a Company Safety Manual?
Workplace safety management is complex. Whether you’re in charge of a manufacturing facility or an industrial space, there are numerous procedures and best practices that need to be established for the sake of employees, customers, and anyone who visits your workplace. With environments that have toxic chemicals or even electric shock, you’ll need to make sure that you have safety protocols in place. A written safety manual serves as an organization’s single source of truth for all safety and health information. It includes details on procedures, policies, and safety instructions.
What Are the Benefits of Documenting Safety Procedures?
By putting together a safety manual, your organization will improve in a number of ways. Some ways include:
- Improved legal compliance because you can verify what safety instructions you have in place and what you’ve communicated to employees
- Increases the chances that the employees will follow safety and health requirements
- When expectations are clearly communicated, there is less chance that workers will forget or neglect safety steps
- Simplifies the process of updating safety procedures
- Helps to protect workers from illness and injury- when everyone is on the same page with health and safety, it’s way easier to prevent accidents from happening
How to Put Together a Safety Manual Template for Companies
Make a List
The first thing to do to create a safety manual template is to create a list of all of your known hazards that require written communication. These can include hazards that you may not even realize are dangerous. Take into account all hazards-big or small. This will help you determine what you need to include in your manual and also help you ensure that you don’t forget anything critical. The list will definitely depend on the nature of your business. For example, if you have a company that works in a laboratory and uses a lot of chemicals, you’ll need a list that has sections on storage, handling, and transportation. If you have a company that works in manufacturing or in an industrial place, then you’ll need sections on heavy machinery, handheld tools, safety goggles, and other items. Consider installing partition curtains in order to keep each piece of machinery separate from the other.
Identify Industry Standards
You should be familiar with all relevant industry standards, as well as any government regulations that are set out by OSHA. These standards are usually for areas such as risk management and food safety management. These standards provide a starting place for company safety manuals in these areas. Make sure to look at your individual workplace and apply as needed. You can usually find these industry guides about standards for production, food safety, and many other areas of specialization.
Engage Stakeholders
Engaging stakeholders to discuss the manual and to find out if there are any specific health and safety concerns that workers or managers may have.
Consult a Workplace Safety Expert
Consult a workplace safety expert to review the plan for your manual, if you feel this step is necessary. Sometimes getting an expert’s opinion can help solidify your manual.
Create Your Manual
Finally, you’re ready to create your manual. Always keep in mind clarity and readability. Use straightforward, easy-to-understand language. Organize the text with a table of contents, bullet lists, and subheadings so employees can easily find the information they’re looking for.
Things Your Manual Should Include
Some important things that your manual should have include:
- Company rules specific to your organization. This can include factors such as keeping the workplace clean and organized, wearing appropriate personal protective gear, and safety protocols during the pandemic. It’s important to make it workplace-specific. Create your manual specifically for your work environment. Only include what is absolutely necessary. You’ll want every person to understand what you’ve written so they can follow your safety message easily.
- Workplace hazard assessment – the occupational safety and health administration requires employers to conduct inspections of all workplaces or tasks to determine if hazards are present that would need the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Luckily, at Singer Safety, we are experts in PPE equipment.
- Company rules- you should also include company rules that apply to all employees. Examples include wearing appropriate PPE when needed. Workers following safe work practices and safe job procedures in the workplace tend to have more success.
- Safe work practices- these are documents that specifically outline how people should perform a task to minimize risk. These usually include things such as ladders, scaffolding, vehicles, etc.
- Safe job procedures- these are a series of specific steps to guide workers through a specific task from start to finish.
- Preventive maintenance- usually companies in specific industries will use certain equipment and perform mandatory inspections.
- Training and communications- this describes how your company trains and communicates with workers.
- Inspections, investigations, and reporting- this describes when, what, and how frequently you perform inspections, how your company investigates incidents, and the reporting procedure.
- Emergency preparedness- OSHA has in-depth information describing what you need to do to protect employees in an emergency.
- Records & Statistics- OSHA has specific recordkeeping requirements as well. You can find these on their website, detailed specifically.
At the end of the day, having proper safe handling instructions in place for your business is key. Once you’re done creating your safety instructions, it’s time to get some high-quality safety products! Check out Singer Safety’s line of incredible safety products.