Safety in the workplace is everyone's responsibility and is a top priority for business owners and management. Safety policies and practices are vital, but so are other factors, such as communication, leadership, and maintenance.
Maintenance plays a huge role in workplace safety, and a lack of proper maintenance is often found to be the cause of accidents and other issues. By ensuring proper maintenance in and around the work site, you are helping to improve workplace safety for all.
The importance of proper maintenance practices for workplace safety
Safety issues are often overlooked. This is especially the case with outdoor areas or areas that aren't frequented or are restricted. Problems arise, and without proper, regular maintenance, they may not be addressed until it's too late.
What are some common accidents and injuries that happen in the workplace?
Trips, slips, and falls
Loose flooring, broken bannisters and balconies, protruding objects, or other issues must be addressed immediately to maintain a safe working environment. Injuries due to broken equipment or other building maintenance issues are common yet preventable.
Broken or malfunctioning lighting impedes vision, and loose, uneven, or damaged flooring can cause trips and falls.
Outdoors, the problems continue if the landscaping doesn't have adequate maintenance. Wet, slick surfaces, broken equipment, unsafe walkways... the list goes on. Trips, slips, and falls make up a large percentage of workplace injuries. These injuries can be severe and result in employees, customers, or others needing medical care and taking time off work to recover. Workplace injuries cost millions each year, and most of these accidents are preventable. Commercial buildings take on a good deal of wear and tear; that's why maintenance is so important.
Roofing leaks and damage can cause a variety of expensive problems, including creating puddles that lead to slips. Leaks can also create mould and rot. Wood rot can compromise building integrity, and water can also increase the chances of electrical problems.
Electrical fires
Fires are among the top workplace accidents that lead to loss of property and life or cause injury. Regular electrical maintenance ensures systems are working efficiently and safely. But each year, businesses lose millions to fire damage. Even worse, injuries and death from workplace fires still happen. Once again, these are preventable in most cases.
Faulty equipment is another major culprit. When employees or associates use broken equipment, injuries can occur.
Examples of how proper maintenance practices can prevent accidents and injuries
Business stakeholders must take workplace accident and injury prevention seriously. Regular maintenance of your buildings and grounds not only keeps your property and assets in good repair, but it also prevents costly injuries and makes for a healthier, happier workplace.
Building maintenance services can detect, repair, or replace faulty equipment before it becomes a liability. During routine inspection and maintenance, workers may look for the following:
- Loose handrails: These could contribute to a fall.
- Worn, loose, uneven, or damaged flooring: Regular inspection and repair of flooring can prevent trips, slips, and falls. It also helps flooring last longer.
- Bad lights and wayfinding systems: Lighting and signage must be kept in good working order so people can see where they are going. Inadequately lit workplaces are unsafe, causing collisions, trips, falls, and other problems. It's always important to ensure that buildings and outdoor areas have adequate lighting. Also, ensure that exits are clearly marked and that fire extinguishers are in good repair and visible.
The role of maintenance in emergency preparedness
When your workplace has good maintenance, it's ready for anything:
- Injuries and accidents go down.
- Buildings and equipment remain clean, maintained, and in good working order.
The environment is far more pleasant. - When walkways are clear, stairways are safe, and exits are clearly marked, it becomes far more likely that your building and your people will be able to safely handle an emergency situation.
How regular building maintenance can help your business
Business owners and management are responsible for protecting employees, vendors, customers, and anyone else who steps on the property. Injuries can happen at any time, but the best way to prevent them is to be proactive when it comes to workplace safety.
Read more about First Response's building maintenance service programs
It's not enough to just have safety policies and meetings. It's important to take a proactive approach to accident and injury prevention. Maintenance services tailored to your business are the key to preventing some of the most common issues before they become larger problems. When there is no dedicated maintenance department, problems can go neglected, and solutions can get put off. This is an ideal environment for an accident.
If your business needs maintenance services, First Response can help. We can help create a tailor-made maintenance program that works for your business to keep it safe and protect your assets. Keeping everyone safe is a team effort, and a good maintenance crew can be part of that team. If you would like to learn more about our services, please get in touch with us to speak to one of our team.
