6 Safety Precautions to Take at a New Job

You deserve to be safe in any job you work. That is just a cold, hard fact - you should never feel as though you have to put yourself in harm's way to earn money. Even those that join the frontline fighting forces of their nation’s military will undergo rigorous training to make certain any harm is minimized and risk is appropriately assessed. If that can be done in such a focused environment, then any corporation has no right to expect you to tolerate inadequate safety planning.

Yet it’s not always the case that safety precautions are managed equally. Sometimes, issues occur, inspections aren’t carried out to standard, safety equipment can fail, and the general risk assessment may change in scope over time. For this reason, it’s important to be mindful of safety precautions no matter the job you work. In this post, we’ll discuss six to consider:

Check the safety policies

Depending on where you work, safety policies differ. But they must always be present. Without an adequate safety policy, people get injured or worse. Make sure it’s regularly updated, in line with the recommendations for your industry, and that you receive adequate training on it.

Consider appropriate safety equipment

Safety equipment doesn’t mean you work a dangerous job, it means you have mitigating protections against environmental exposure. If you clean, you should have gloves and an apron. If you’re in a loud environment, these questions to ask about hearing protection are key. If no safety equipment is available, you’re well within your rights to refuse action.

Breaks & overtime

Mandatory overtime and restricted breaks are not only unsafe, they may be illegal. It’s important to ensure you have the rest time you are intended to - these standards were hard-won in the workplace and are there for a reason.

Learning & accountability culture

How companies respond to safety issues is a very, very helpful indicator of how seriously they take it. If an issue leads to systemic change, investment in change and appropriate accountability, that’s a good sign. If not, question why these measures are being ignored. Are they trying to cost-cut, or push issues under the rug? Both are poor signs.

Lighting, exits & fire safety

Every business should host regular fire safety drill training. This includes making sure areas are well lit, signage is maintained, evacuation points are noted and sign-in and sign-out measures allow you to come and go as appropriate. This isn’t a luxury, but a bare minimum. How seriously a company takes this is a good indicator of how they approach other rules.

Routine training

Put simply, routine training will keep you safer than almost anything else. From cybersecurity measures to making certain you’re trained in how to deal with safety threats from the public if you’re in a front-facing role, being adaptable matters, and it requires routine training to make sure you feel safe in those environment. If you’re rarely trained on these matters, be sure to ask why.

With this advice, you’ll be certain to take the appropriate safety measures at any new job.