4 Tips to Keep Workers Safe at Home
You spend your days focused on keeping your workers safe on the job. And ideally, you want them to go home to rest, relax, and come back rejuvenated. But the National Safety Council reports that home and local communities are where 72% of fatal injuries occur–not on the job.
You care about your employee’s well-being, and you count on them to show up every day to get the job done—but you only make the rules at work! The solution? Take time on the job to promote safety at home.
Use your toolbox talks or safety meetings to share these tips to help promote home safety:
Slips, Trips, and Falls
at Home
Many of the safety hazards that exist in the workplace can also occur in some form at home. Make sure your workers remember to:
- clear clutter near doorways and high-traffic areas
- minimize uneven floor surfaces
- avoid trailing cables, wires, or extension cords, especially across walkways
- provide good lighting, particularly for places in the home with changes in floor level like staircases or single steps up or down
- use workplace ladder safety protocols
Emergency Preparedness and Medication Safety
Encourage your workers to create a first aid kit with any necessary prescriptions and other medicines for their family. At the same time, suggest that they properly dispose of any medicines that are past expiration or in need of replacing. Unused medications can pose a significant risk to family members and workers. Talk to management about implementing a safe and anonymous drug disposal system in your workplace.
Alarms and Equipment Maintenance
Ask your employees if they have a home evacuation plan in the event of an emergency. Do they have safety equipment like smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, fire extinguishers, and emergency escape ladders ready to use? Be sure to remind them that they should also take the time to check that equipment is working properly including monthly fire extinguisher inspections.
Don’t forget non-emergency equipment! Tell them to look for areas in their home that have too many items plugged-in where they should switch to a power strip to prevent electrical overload. This can be a good solution for light-load applicances like computers but shouldn't take the place of additional outlets if they're needed for heavier duty equipment. You might even look into partnerships with suppliers to offer employee discounts on both emergency and non-emergency equipment that promotes safety.
Home Health
Consider holding events like a Health Fair to encourage workers to make healthy home choices like:
- Eating different kinds of healthy, filling, nutritious foods
- Learning different recipes and being aware of foodborne illnesses and improper food handling
- Keeping their homes free of smoke and tobacco
- Involving their entire families in keeping up with these standards
Spreading the safety message both at home and at work is a great way to keep everyone happier, healthier, and ready to stay on the job!
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