How to keep your employees safe after dark...


As we all know, the clocks are going back an hour on 25th October. For many of us this now means travelling and working in the dark. 

 Employee safety has to be a top priority for any employer. While many companies are only aware of the requirement for safety within the workplace, many provide less attention towards safety when travelling or working in the dark.

 This becomes a more pressing issue in October because of the clocks going back. This difference means a lot of us will find ourselves travelling home, going to meetings or visiting customers in darkness of later afternoon.

 There are many tips that employers should give to workers for when they travel after dark:

 Safety garments:

 High visibility vests and waistcoats are essential for all workplaces, and they can be a life saver out on the road, making people a lot more visible if they are on a bike, next to a broken down car or even walking down a dark road. 

 If it’s required for a job, employers must provide high visibility clothing free of charge, keep it clean and in working order. They must also make sure that employees fully understand when, where and why they need to wear it.

 Carry a torch:

 Having a torch whilst travelling is very useful for protection, especially if employees enter any dark roads or paths. Small torches that can be fixed to keyrings or be placed in a bag are ideal purely because they will be easy to carry. However, if people are given items that depend on batteries then make sure they have a supply of spare batteries.

 Mobile phone:

 In this day and age, we all have a mobile phone. However, some workplaces do not require mobile phones whilst on the job for safety reasons and therefore many workers could forget or leave their phones at home. Although, putting a fully charged phone in your bag or vehicle for the journey to and from work could make a big difference if employees witness or are in an accident.

 Although many of us like to take a look at our phones when we’re walking along, conspicuous use of smartphones or tablets can make us more of a target for muggers. Ensure employees are keeping devices out of sight when they are on the move, ideally concealed in a zipped bag or case, using them only for emergencies. 

 Travel in numbers: 

 Car sharing between employees can not only help reduce traffic and ease car parking pressures, but it also means people aren’t travelling home alone. Plus, employees can see each other leave and arrive at home safe. If there is more than one person travelling to an appointment then suggest that they travel together.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Six safety wear basics

Image
Making sure people are equipped and dressed to do their work safely and healthily should be common sense, but it’s also required by law. The Health and Safety Executive says that people must be protected against any health or safety risks at work. Where health and safety cannot be adequately controlled in other ways, the Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 require employers to provide suitable Personal Protective Equipment. When companies provide Personal Protective Equipment they have to make sure it’s properly assessed to ensure it is fit for purpose, that it’s stored and maintained correctly, that users are provided with instructions on how to use it properly and that it’s used correctly. This doesn’t just extend to workers. Customers and visitors also have to be protected whenever they are in any workplace or site with health and safety risks. Personal Protective Equipment reduces workplace accidents and ensures the safety of all site users. It’s essen...
Read more

The Key to Creating Effective Emails

Image
Email is a widely used tool for business communications and the average office worker receives over 80 emails every day. Therefore, we must create effective emails to be noticed above the bunch.  However, how can you avoid your emails from causing tension and confusion, being ignored, or sent to the spam folder? And how can you write emails that get the results you want? Many of us are unaware that the answer to this solution is simply to have the correct content. However, this is easier said than done since the strategy can be complicated. This article looks at strategies you can use to ensure that your use of email is clear, effective, and successful. 1. Don't over communicate by email. One of the biggest sources of stress at work is the sheer volume of emails that people receive. So, before you begin writing an email, ask yourself: "Is this really necessary?” You should even think about using the phone to deal with questions or queries that are likel...
Read more

The Office Heatwave: How To Cope

Image
It’s often that we’re looking to turn the heating up in English offices, as sunny days are a rare accompaniment to our usual week in the office. But with the weather being surprisingly hot lately, we decided to put a few top tips together to help you cope with oppressive office heatwaves and, hopefully, keep you going until the beer garden calls at the end of the day. 1. Ditch the coffee Did you know that during these hot summer days you need to rehydrate with at least 2-3 litres of water a day because we tend to sweat more? This brings us to rule number 1 - Hydration. Get this wrong, you might as well bang your head on the desk a few times to match the headache (and potential heatstroke) that you will be suffering with. You know that water cooler you have in the office? Use it. Our advice would be to bring in a bottle and fill that up, as those tiny little plastic cups can easily fool you into thinking that you’ve drunk enough for the day. (Don’t ...
Read more