By Megan Isola
You know to clean spills on the floor immediately, and you’re probably well aware of the importance of examining and maintaining all equipment regularly and properly, like dusting it. Those are just give-mes. But, it’s the risks lurking underneath that are the real threats. And if you’re unsure of these hidden dangers, you may be compromising safety in your workplace. That, however, doesn’t have to be when you become conscious of these hazards and know how to mitigate them.
Having an Under-Trained Staff
When you on-board each team member, you have a certain protocol to follow to show them the ropes. You’re primarily setting them up to merge with the rest of the crew and follow their lead while being focused on their responsibilities. You educate them about the typical schedule there, and the rules they must follow, whether for the corporate office, the company itself, or the state or federal government, depending on the nature/structure of your business.
However, with so much to show a newbie, you may easily miss a thing or two, such as safety recommendations for specific conditions. You or whoever is training the incomers may neglect to teach them what to do in the event of a fire or another emergency. Though you hope it never happens, you could leave them high, dry, and confused during a crisis, which is dangerous for the entire team and your company.
Think of any potential dangers that could happen, and educate the team when they first join the company. It may help to create a new training program to incorporate all the information. As new info is discovered, alter the plan and hold new training sessions accordingly to keep the team updated.
Not Preparing Equipment for Electrostatic Discharge
Consider how much your equipment is worth. Could you afford to replace it, or would you honestly want to when it’s still in working condition?
Electrostatic discharge (ESD)— while you can’t see it, it’s there, as it’s created by an imbalance in the electrically charged particles. It feels similar to when you get a mild ‘shock’ when you touch a metal doorknob or even another human being after walking on carpeting. It’s just startling and nothing to be concerned about. However, for your electronic equipment, it’s more than a minor ‘zap’.
For those devices, ESD can be the difference between survival and failure. It’s actually one of the leading causes of damage to them. ESD is dangerous particularly when conditions are dry, as humidity tends to dissipate any charges.
Specifically, your electronics have internal components sensitive to voltage changes, even small ones. As a result, whenever the circuit boards, capacitors, or microchips experience a ‘shock’ suddenly, the surge can cause a short circuit or may even burn out the device completely. Data loss and device malfunction are possible from ESD. Sometimes, the effects happen gradually from multiple instances, causing the device to break down eventually.
ESD testing can identify any risks and allow you to abate them with the appropriate actions, such as one or more of the following:
- Wearing anti-static wristbands
- Establishing ESD-safe work areas
- Having protective packing for the most vulnerable equipment
- Regulating humidity (not too dry, but not moist enough to hurt the electronics)
- Using grounding systems
Leaving Your Network Susceptible to Cyber Threats
It’s easy for people to say to themselves, “Well, I haven’t had a cyberattack on my business thus far. My protection is obviously good enough.” This, however, is far from the truth because good enough isn’t sufficient. Every business that uses the Internet in some way, shape, or form is at risk. While having different, difficult-to-guess passwords for every account helps and so does using antivirus and antimalware software, that’s just the bread and butter of protecting your company’s privacy and security.
Hackers are savvy and can get to your info easily, no matter the strength of your passwords or how much you monitor your accounts.
But you don’t have to leave yourself wide open to hackers. Getting a dependable VPN network is an added layer of protection, providing security and safeguarding your privacy when you’re online. Through this type of network technology, any information you’re sending online is encrypted, so outsiders can’t view it without having a decryption key or powerful computing power to reveal it.
Besides masking your data from third parties, VPNs also hide your IP address, making it more difficult to track your online interactions.
Not Considering Mental Health
You protect your employees’ physical health by guarding them from apparent dangers, such as slips and falls. You require them to wear the appropriate gear, such as gloves, a helmet, or protective eyewear — or all of the above.
But, their physical health isn’t the only aspect of their overall well-being you should consider. Between stress on the job, an imbalance between work and home, and being mentally overexerted, among other factors, your employees may be going through a lot, and that’s not factoring in any problems in their home lives. They may be experiencing depression, anxiety, or just an overwhelming amount of stress in general that’s taking a toll on them mentally and possibly physically.
While you may wish all employees well, you can do more to promote a mentally healthy workplace where the staff members feel supported and not crushed. By making your crew feel valued, you develop a bond with your team. You’ll ultimately have better efficiency and be able to produce more or offer products or services of higher quality. Not to mention, focusing on mental health ensures your employees are less likely to suffer from an accident or make mistakes due to stress.
Overcoming this risk can be done through any of the following:
- Make schedules flexible and be willing to work with your staff in general
- Foster a culture where employees feel comfortable sharing
- Provide counseling
- Consider offering the option to work from home
- Supply stress management workshops
- Give mental health days so employees can take off due to stress
- Educate your management team about the signs of mental issues in employees
Not Encouraging a Positive Culture
You’re bound to, at some point, have clashing personalities among employees. In an effort to lessen squabbles, you must encourage open communication and promote respect. Intervening when necessary helps to end disputes and foster an environment where people communicate and problem-solve.
Though you may not have had any trips and tumbles or other accidents, that doesn’t mean your workplace is 100% safe. Your staff’s mental health may suffer, or you might have ESD that’s waiting to wreak havoc on your expensive equipment. In some cases, the problem lies with cyber threats or the culture of your workplace. However, it’s possible to work on any or all of these to make the facility a safer, happier, more productive environment.
Megan Isola holds a Bachelor of Science in Hospitality and a minor in Business Marketing from Cal State University Chico. She enjoys going to concerts, trying new restaurants, and hanging out with friends.
