Month: August 2018

A total of 30 young workers aged 15-24 died as a result of work-related accidents between 2012 and 2016, and the numbers are yet to drop. Inexperience is often blamed for this, with younger workers simply having less experience in dealing with workplace hazards. As a result, here we offer you 5 tips for protecting your younger workers from hazards.

1. Assess the risk of violence in the workplace

It is essential to have policies and programs in place for violence and similar forms of harassment. This is pretty basic and common sense stuff, stating that employees should immediately report any threats or violent incidents to management as soon as possible. If you have to fire someone who is being violent or threatening, then so be it – your workplace will be better off as a whole.

2. Conduct basic health and safety training

According to most legal systems, employees must receive at least basic health and safety training before they can work legally. The training may vary according to your industry, but it should be given nonetheless. For example, workers in the food industry may have to undergo training in using kitchen knives and cooking food safely.

3. Organize hands-on training

The easiest way to impart health and safety knowledge is to show your employees hands-on. Give your young employees demonstrations on how to load/unload materials, handle materials, and use heavy machinery.

4. Display health and safety documents

Display both federal and state-level healthy and safety documents in a common area (such as the canteen) where employees are able to observe the documents and peruse them at their leisure. Informative posters about workplace safety are also valuable, especially if they are memorable and well-designed.

5. Maintain good equipment and machinery

The machinery and equipment used by your workforce should be well-maintained and in good condition, making sure that your employees are working with equipment that is safe and fit for purpose. Regular maintenance and equipment checks are the easiest way to ensure this, and any faulty equipment should be replaced or fixed as soon as a problem is found. One of the most common causes of injuries, for example, is faulty electrical equipment, despite being incredibly easy to prevent with a little regular maintenance.

Although all industries have their workplace hazards, young people are particularly vulnerable when working in the retail, tourism, hospitality, restaurant, and recreational services industries. These industries all pose unique threats to the safety of young workers, in addition to general hazards such as slips, trips, and falls. Whatever industry young people find themselves in, many workplace accidents can be avoided with the proper training and preventive measures in place.

Looking to make your business a safer place to work for young people? We deal with these cases all the time, giving us limitless experience. Contact us today for more information on young peoples’ safety in the workplace and how it may affect your company.

As times and technologies progress, there are more and more risks presenting themselves for US employers in 2018, as well as employers around the globe. Workplace safety is, of course, a never-ending concern, although phenomena such as data security and the upcoming mid-term elections are also of great concern too.

Corporate accountability for data breaches

With regulations such as GDPR now being enacted in the European Union, companies all over the globe are being forced to respond and up their game in terms of data protection and security. Hackers and becoming more and more prevalent, and it only takes a couple of inconsistencies or weak spots in your system for people to breach your databases and hold them to ransom. Companies handling sensitive data should look into hiring penetration testers who can make sure that there are no (or very few) vulnerabilities in their system.

Wage pressure

When it comes to wage pressure, you only have to look to states such as California to see the problems with inadequate salaries and sky-high living costs. As conditions worsen economically, many employers are maintaining a hardline policy of maintaining their current salaries as a means of ensuring their companies’ futures in these trying times, although this understandably isn’t going down well with workforces and is causing drops in employee morale. Nonetheless, there are mixed views about the best way to progress with workplace wages.

Sexual harassment claims

As campaigns such as #MeToo continue to gain steam, we are beginning to see less and less tolerance for workplace harassment, with more and more women (and sometimes men) coming forward to make sexual harassment claims against preying coworkers. 60% of US women claim to have been sexually harassed at some point in their lives, with many of these claims originating from workplaces. Of course, a shift away from harassment is good for society as a whole but could prove costly for employers who may have to foot the bill legally.

Upcoming mid-term elections

November’s upcoming mid-term elections could undoubtedly have a great effect on workplace regulations and protections, and this is something that employers need to be mindful of, as policies could always change in late 2018 or early 2019. Trump’s presidency has been something of a controversial one, which leaves the fate of the mid-term elections dangling in the balance.

 

Risk assessments

If you’re concerned about these areas or anything else which could be detrimental to your business in the upcoming years, you should consider performing a thorough risk assessment of your business from top to bottom. A thorough assessment allows you to identify your weakest spots are your biggest vulnerabilities, enabling you to take preventive measures and take out insurance policies which cover your business where it needs it most.

We’re always on the lookout for insightful information about insurance topics that are relevant to the ever-changing times we live in. If you’re looking for insurance information which could help your business’s profits and longevity, speak to a member of our team today.