There is no doubt that 2020 has been an extremely difficult year for business, mostly due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our processes and ways of working have been forced to adapt and pivot to be able to function. Things not going right is an important part of the learning process, as we learn by trial and error. This means not being afraid of failure, even to the extent of being willing to 'fail forward.'
There is an opportunity to reflect on the last year and use it as a potential learning experience.
For example, the pandemic has reinforced the importance of health and safety procedures within an organization. Pre-pandemic, a lot of businesses didn’t take health and safety too seriously, but now it’s a vital practice that everyone must stay compliant with, and is the difference between a business surviving or failing.
We've found five key health and safety lessons from the pandemic that should be given focus and reflected upon in reinforcing business resilience.
The Costly Reality
If you’re not staying on top of your health and safety – then be prepared to lose a lot of money. If you operate in a dangerous working environment with a risk to life and limb and operate to mandatory standards and laws relating to your industry, then you have to stay within the requirements or you run the risk of a fine. And this says nothing of jeopardizing the health and safety of your employees. A study by health and safety consultants Arinite, shows that investing in health and safety could save a business over $76,000 on fines alone.
Safety Assessments
The pandemic has re-enforced the importance of workplace safety assessments, as the way we all operate has now changed and employers have had to re-evaluate their processes. These assessments are vitally important and if they are not carried our correctly, it can have serious and dangerous consequences. The pandemic has pivoted the workplace safety assessment from inconvenient to vital.
Things Change More Quickly
Be prepared for adjusting to change – rapidly. You must innovate or you evaporate. Pivoting and adapting to new ways of working is what we were all forced to do. In the midst of the rapid change, it can have huge repercussions, so you must be aware of health and safety issues - and how best practices for dealing with them can change overnight.
A policy or procedure that was set it stone could change, ultimately adjusting the correct way to deal with it. If you aren’t keeping up to date with changes, you're leaving yourself wide open for issues. Being aware of this will make it less of a surprise when they do change.
Training
Providing health and safety training helps you to ensure your employees are not injured or made ill by the work they do – which is always vitally important, but especially during a pandemic. It also helps them develop a positive health and safety culture, where working becomes second nature to everyone. By providing regular, adequate training, you are making your employees competent in health and safety, and support your business's ability avoid the distress that accidents and ill health can cause.
Don't Overlook the Small Stuff
A virus that has cause such a catastrophic impact on the world, is combated by the most simple practices - the regular washing of hands, keeping a safe distance, and practicing good hygiene.
The pandemic has cemented the importance of health and safety in our lives, so make sure you are on top of ever changing regulations, that your staff are adequately trained, and don’t over look those small tasks that may, at times, seem unimportant. Be ready to rapidly adapt to change and understand the importance of health and safety work assessments to avoid heavy fines.
If you do make mistakes, listen to feedback, correct it and keep moving forward towards the goal. Every experience will yield up more useful information that you can apply the next time
If you want to invest in your health and safety and compliance then visit obbisolutions.com for more information.
