Workplace safety and security are two of the most important things to be considered and prioritized by both the employees and the management. In New Zealand, the WorkSafe and the Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment are making sure that workplace safety is being observed from offices to warehouses across the country.
Despite the effort of the two bodies, workplace accidents are hard to predict, and that is why minimizing damage and prevention of loss of life are far more critical. But how do various management and companies comply with workplace safety and security? How safe do you think is your workplace?
Workplace and Warehouse Safety Audit
The workplace and warehouse safety audit is essential as this process lessens the possibility of accidents that may result in damage to property, injuries, or even fatality. The inspection is part of the government’s 2015 Health and Safety at Work Act to ensure that all risks involved in businesses and workplaces, both public and private, are mitigated and well managed.
The law provides obligations and responsibilities for both the management and employees to ensure safety and security at the workplace, warehouse, and other places of work. And going back, the safety and security audit aims to identify the hazards and risks in a particular location of work. The auditors will then provide their findings to the business owners, who are inclined to initiate a dialogue with their employees. In the discussion, changes should be proposed, safety and security education must be given, and protocols or procedures must be laid out to resolve the workplace safety and security issues that were previously identified.
Other Benefits of a Safety Audit
In particular, a safety audit in a warehouse will not only lessen and manage hazards and risks but will also provide other benefits. Some of these are increased warehouse efficiency and legal compliance. Increased warehouse efficiency can be improved through the audit by making modifications to the placement of shelves or even increasing the size of specific pathways or spaces to increase mobility.
Audits also ensure that a workplace or warehouse is compliant with the 2015 Health and Safety at Work Act. The process ensures that employees are well protected and given an avenue to file lawsuits or given compensation if their respective companies are non compliant with the government safety regulations. Apart from safety from accidents, audits also provide options for the management to implement changes in response to natural hazards such as flooding, earthquakes, or wildfires.
Is Your Company Compliant with Workplace Safety Regulations?
If your company undertook neither of the things mentioned above, then your company might not be compliant with the safety regulations set by the government. There is a considerable possibility that accidents that can disable or even kill you may happen.
Previous Workplace-related Accidents
In 2018, approximately 108 fatalities were reported due to workplace-related accidents. Although there is no confirmation, these accidents could have been the result of inadequate safety regulations and compliance. Recently in June 2019, a worker died after being poisoned inside a pest control warehouse in Christchurch.
These are all preventable accidents should the management, as well as the employees, strictly observed safety regulations. And, it’s high time that you initiate efforts to enhance safety in your workplace.
