There’s great peace of mind that comes from knowing exactly how safe your workplace is for your staff and your customers. If you’re not sure what the state of safety is for your workplace, there are easy ways to start measuring it.
The best place to start is with a safety checklist. But not just any safety checklist. Ontario has released a health and safety workplace checklist that helps you measure safety in your workplace and find areas where you need to improve in order to meet your obligations under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA). It’s comprehensive and helps employers better understand their health and safety obligations.
Health and Safety Checklist Basics
The checklist is divided into several sections, most of which will apply to every business. For example, one section of the checklist goes over what should be posted on the Health and Safety Bulletin Board. Another goes over general elements of keeping any workplace, whether it’s an office or production line, clean and free from obstructions.
A checklist that often goes overlooked by employers who are new to managing workplace health and safety is “Environmental” safety. Environmental safety includes:
- Lighting levels
- Air quality
- Temperature and humidity
- Noise levels
- Signs indicating where PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) must be worn to protect from noise and other hazards
- Workers must be trained on how to use that PPE
More Specific Checklists
Not all checklists will relate to your specific work environment. Here are a few of the more niche checklists and who should use them
- Material Handling and Storage: This checklist covers safety issues related to how materials or products are moved and stored.
- Hazardous Substances: Not all workplaces have hazardous substances, but if yours does, this checklist will help ensure you have what you need to handle them, and later dispose of them.
- Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): Your staff may wear anything from fall arrest systems to safety goggles. This checklist will help you ensure that PPE is available, worn and maintained throughout the workday.
Often, it is not enough to just work by memory when filling out these checklists. You should be physically walking around your building and asking people questions. Otherwise, you will not discover new safety developments. A checklist that can be used when walking around is the Health & Safety Compliance Checklist located here: Health & Safety Compliance Checklist
Workplace Health and Safety Training
Doing these workplace safety checklists aren’t enough. You need team members who have more advanced skills to measure safety in your workplace. That starts with workplace health and safety training.
At Bullivant we understand that ensuring the health and safety of your workers can be a daunting task. Let us help you with your health and safety needs and ensure a safe and healthy workplace for you and your employees.