A guide to creating a safety culture in the workplace

What is a safety culture in the workplace? 

A safety culture in the workplace is about things being carried out at your workplace in a safe fashion. Safety culture in the workplace is about how people approach workplace risks where safety is factored into the tasks employees and employers do at work. It refers to the:

• mindset
• attitudes
• behaviours of everyone in the workplace, which includes employers and employees.

A safety culture in the workplace promotes what people value and how they behave. It allows employees to feel safe at work and plays a role in securing this. 

Why is having a safety culture important?

Having a safety culture in the workplace is important because it contributes towards a healthy and safe workplace. It means that both employers and employees are knowledgeable about dangers that can arise in the everyday work tasks they carry out. Employees' knowledge about their jobs helps reveal potential dangers. If a workplace has a good safety culture it is less likely that accidents and injuries will occur. 

Having a safety culture in the workplace has many benefits such as:

• less absent staff 
• lower wage costs as less payment for sick pay 
• less likely to incur health and safety fines
• more productivity from staff

Whose responsibility is it to uphold the culture?

As it is the employer's legal responsibility to ensure those who work for them are kept healthy and safe, it becomes the employer's responsibility to uphold the safety culture in the workplace. Employers should let others at work know what their values are and invest in resources to uphold these. 

How should employers and employees participate? 

Both employers and employees must participate in creating a safety culture in the workplace. This is because creating a safety culture at work means all at work are involved in some way in health and safety at work. 

One way to do this is for employers to actively involve their employees in the safety culture in the workplace. For example, to set up a safety committee in the workplace. This can help employees to buy into the safety process and the importance of these. 

What could happen without an effective safety culture? 

Without an effective safety culture in the workplace, it is more likely that workplace accidents and injuries will occur. Employers and employees will be less aware of the dangers posed in the workplace and employees less likely to speak out. 

Whilst ensuring health and safety in the workplace remains the employer's legal duty, an effective safety culture reinforces this and makes staying safe in the workplace much more likely.

What accidents and injuries could occur?

There are many types of accidents and injuries which occur in the workplace and all of these are more likely where there is no effective safety culture at work. For example:

• trips and falls
• falls from height
• machinery accidents
• crushing incidents

What should an employee do if injured at work?

If an employee is injured at work the first action to take is to ensure they receive the necessary medical assistance for the injury. The accident should also be reported to management and a record made in the accident record procedure. 

There are other things an employee should do when they experience a workplace injury, in case they later wish to make a work accident compensation claim. These include:

• taking photos of the injury;
• taking photos or videos of the accident scene;
• ask witnesses for their details

Does Employer's Liability cover workplace accidents?

Employer's liability covers workplace accidents where an employer is liable for the accident. This means that they did not prevent or reduce the risk of the accident where they should have so were negligent.

Every employer is required by law to take out employer's liability insurance, which will cover their costs when someone makes a compensation claim for an accident at work. 

Could an employee claim for an accident at work? 

If you as an employee suffer an accident or injury in the workplace, which was not entirely your fault, you could make a compensation claim for an accident at work. Employers have a legal duty to keep their employees safe at work which means they should do all they reasonably can to ensure accidents do not occur. This applies to all work industries so, for example, office accidents, and injuries in manual labour jobs. 

At National Accident Helpline, we completely understand the significant impact accidents in the workplace can have on employees like you. You may have to make adjustments in your day-to-day life and are likely to miss a substantial amount of your work time.

If you have suffered an accident at work, we at National Accident Helpline can help you today. So, why not give us a call or, alternatively, request a call back here. 

How do you make an accident at work claim?

If you have had an accident at work, it is very easy to make a compensation claim. We at National Accident Helpline can help you with this. You could even make your compensation claim for a workplace injury with us on a no-win no no-fee basis. Therefore, as long as the required insurance is in place, you take no financial risk when you make your personal injury claim for an injury in the workplace with National Accident Helpline. 

When you make an accident at work claim with us, we ensure that your claim process is smooth and stress-free. You can even calculate your potential compensation online before you start your claim using our simple, yet clever, compensation calculator. 

If you have suffered an accident or injury in the workplace, you are likely due personal injury compensation. So call us today on - if the workplace injury is not your fault, we could help you to make a compensation claim. You can also request a call back here or even begin your claim online.