10 Essential Workplace Safety Tips Every Employee Should Know?

According to the Forgetting Curve, humans forget roughly 50% of newly learned information every day. Due to this, we need to regularly review the facts to avoid losing half of our new knowledge. (To learn more about the Forgetting Curve and the benefits of microlearning, check out our blog, Microlearning: How to Create Engaging Safety Training for the Goldfish Attention Span.)??

So, in the spirit of reviewing our knowledge, we’re bringing you a list of 10 basic, must-know safety tips for employees in all industries. Whether you’re new to the workforce or you’ve been working for 20+ years, it’s always worth brushing up on the basics of workplace safety.??

1. Start when safe?

Until recently, most organizations in hazardous industries relied on the stop-work-when-unsafe technique. With this method, workers are expected to stop working immediately if they spot a hazard. But stopping work can sometimes be tricky, and depending on an organization’s culture, employees may be uncomfortable risking a potential loss in productivity.??

Today, we’re seeing a widespread shift toward a start-when-safe mindset. While employees should already be checking for safe conditions before starting work, adopting a start-when-safe mindset can help you to remember to slow down before beginning a task.??

To learn more about shifting to a start-when-safe mindset, check out episode 227 of the Two Bald Guys Talking Safety podcast, “Reimagine Serious Injury Fatality Prevention: A Journey Towards Operational Learning: Part 2.”?

2. Stay alert?

It’s easy, particularly if you’ve completed a task dozens (or hundreds) of times, to become blind to your environment. But if you don’t stay alert, you may not be able to spot a hazard until it’s too late.?

Always be aware of your surroundings, especially if you work in a high-risk industry. Your surroundings can include the room you’re in (or, if you’re outdoors, the outdoor environment), the equipment and machinery around you, other workers and any members of the public, your clothing and personal protective equipment (PPE) and your body in general.??

Before beginning work, make sure you’re prepared and confident in your ability to complete your tasks. Make sure you’ve finished the necessary training and understand the risks associated with each of your tasks.?

Remember, staying switched on is easier when you’re well-fed, hydrated and rested. Eating, sleeping and drinking enough water is a key part of priming yourself to keep your eyes open (literally and figuratively).?

3. Know the risks and be able to identify hazards?

Every workplace is different, and the risks of a particular job or task will vary from organization to organization. Particularly when working in a high-risk or hazardous environment, make sure you understand the tasks you’re going to perform and the dangers you need to watch out for. Knowing the risks can help you spot hazards before they lead to incidents.??

Hazards will be covered in your training, but make sure to review them frequently to keep them fresh in your mind.?

4. Familiarize yourself with emergency action plans and keep emergency exits clear?

All workplaces are required to have emergency action plans. During training, your employer should share the emergency plans with you, and they should be kept on hand during work. Familiarize yourself with the emergency plans and review them regularly.?

Besides getting comfortable with your organization’s emergency plans, make sure you know where the emergency exits are. Make sure not to block the exits with furniture or machinery, even for a few minutes.??

5. Use equipment properly and wear the appropriate PPE?

It may seem like a no-brainer, but it’s important to only operate machinery you’re trained or certified to use. Make sure it’s clean and well-maintained before you use it and only use machines for their intended purposes.?

When it comes to PPE, it’s surprisingly easy to forget to put your safety goggles back on after a break. Remember, start when safe—only begin work when you’re wearing the right PPE. Some workers may choose not to wear PPE for a variety of reasons; it may not fit correctly, it might get in the way or the worker might think they can complete the task quickly without it and save time. But it’s never worth injuring yourself to save that bit of extra time.?

It’s an employer’s responsibility to provide clean, well-fitting PPE for all employees and to ensure employees know how to correctly put on and take off their PPE.?

6. Keep your space clean and uncluttered?

Slips, trips and falls are a major contributor to incident rates every year. Cluttered spaces can hide hazards, and spills can cause slips. Keeping your workspace clean and uncluttered is the easiest way to keep yourself and your coworkers safe.?

7. Always report unsafe conditions?

Your company is required to provide you with a safe and healthy work environment, but supervisors and managers may not spend enough time in the workplace to notice if conditions are unsafe. As an employee, it’s your job to learn how to identify hazards in your workplace and report them to management as soon as possible. After a hazard has been identified and reported, it’s a manager, supervisor or EHS&S professional’s job to analyze and mitigate the hazard.?

It's a leader’s responsibility to make sure employees feel safe and comfortable sharing their concerns with management. If employees don’t feel safe enough to voice their thoughts, unsafe conditions will remain and could lead to incidents.?

8. Know where the first aid kit and/or first aid officer is—and learn basic first aid?

Some organizations employ a first aid officer, but all are required to keep a first aid kit on hand. Make sure you know where your company stores first aid supplies.?

Completing a basic first aid course is a requirement in many instances, but it’s also a best practice. Check with your company to see if they offer a course. If not, you can book a course online.?

9. Prioritize taking breaks?

Fatigue can cause lower reaction speeds, impaired information processing, memory lapses, decreased focus, an underestimation of risks and reduced coordination, all of which could lead to a serious incident.??

Taking breaks is a great way to combat fatigue. Remember to stay hydrated, eat and stretch to maintain better focus and a higher level of concentration.??

Depending on your job, you may need to drink and eat more than other workers. Construction workers, for example, should drink more than the recommended 8 glasses of water per day.?

10. Know and stay up to date with your company’s policies and procedures?

Every workplace is different, and your company’s policies and procedures will be company-specific. They will probably also change regularly, so even if you’ve been on the job for a long time, it’s important to keep yourself informed about changes to policies and procedures.??

Remember, it’s surprisingly easy to forget the basics. Refreshing your knowledge of workplace safety tips is a great way to make sure you keep yourself and your colleagues safe.?

For more safety tips, check out our blog, Our Top Safety Tips for 2023.?