Company Safety Procedures

Company safety is good business.forklift safety image by Greg Pickens from Fotolia.com

Company safety procedures are designed to keep employees safe, prevent company equipment from being damaged, and promote a high level of employee productivity. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and your state Department of Transportation (DOT) exist to help companies avoid the majority of safety and health hazards, and employers will do well to get in contact with these agencies. Additional precautions can also be taken to protect company assets, such as expensive computer systems that are vulnerable to viruses.

Internet and Email Use

Prohibit employees from going to websites that may carry viruses and other dangerous programs by blocking questionable sites at the firewall. Do not allow employees to download files to their computers, either from the Internet or from a storage mediums like CDs, without the assistance and approval of a member of the IT department. Employees should not be allowed to use company email for personal correspondence or to open email attachments without first consulting the IT department. Be sure that firewall and anti-virus software is resident on all company servers and workstations.

Equipment needs to be properly maintained for it to be safe for use. Part of equipment maintenance is inspection to find any parts of the equipment that are defective. Do not allow employees to use defective equipment. Have that equipment reported to a manager immediately and removed from service for repair. Only allow employees that have been trained on a piece of equipment to use it. Create a maintenance schedule based on the recommendations of the manufacturer, and have the person that does the regular maintenance submit a form explaining what repairs were needed, if any, what maintenance was done, and when.

Make sure that all product information sheets are kept near equipment and materials in case of an emergency. For equipment, make sure the manufacturer's user guide is handy at all times. With materials, this means keeping the Material Safety Data Sheet, or MSDS, on file with the company safety compliance officer and posted near the material. Always refer to manuals and MSDS sheets in case of an emergency. Check with OSHA to determine if a product requires an MSDS sheet and what guidelines it should follow. If a piece of equipment or a material did not come with instructions or a safety sheet, contact the manufacturer immediately and request that one be sent.

The California Department of Industrial Relations recommends conducting regular health and safety training sessions that follow OSHA guidelines to help reinforce safe work habits. Topics that can be covered include how employees can report a safety hazard, how to prevent accidents in the workplace, how to prevent the spread of illness and disease in the workplace, and how to react when an emergency occurs. You can also remind employees who the various company health and safety representatives are in case any staff member ever has a question. Preventive training on safety procedures can reduce the effects of an accident and potentially save lives.