Health and safety is essential in any working environment, whether that’s an office, construction site or school. All employees must feel safe at work and the responsibility falls on the employer.
If a working environment isn’t safe, you could have an accident or injury, putting you out of work and having a significant impact on your life. If this is the case and you feel mistreated and endangered, you might want to consider speaking to a personal injury lawyer. Check out this personal injury lawyer directory to get started and find out what your different options are.
But what are some signs that your boss isn’t taking health and safety seriously?
You’ve had no training
Certain roles in certain industries will require health and safety training before you can start working. This is the case for any role that requires using technical equipment or machinery. Anyone operating equipment without training puts themselves, and their colleagues, at risk. So, if your employer hasn’t provided training before you start, they aren’t taking health and safety seriously. They’re putting everyone in the environment in danger.
The environment is a mess
All working environments need to be clean and tidy at all times. In offices, this means ensuring there are no loose cables dangling around or boxes in the way. All emergency exits should be kept clear and water should never be left on the floor. If your working environment is constantly a mess, your employer isn’t following the correct protocols. Any employee could trip over the clutter, making this an unsafe working environment.
There are no hazard signs
Sometimes, trip hazards are unavoidable. For example, on construction sites there may regularly be obstacles. Restaurants and cafes may also have regular spills. However, it’s how your employer handles these hazards that makes a difference. All hazards should be clearly signposted to ensure that everyone is forewarned. If there are hazards everywhere but no signs, your employer isn’t taking health and safety seriously.
There isn’t a HR team
A HR team is important in any work environment. They’re the people you turn to when you have an issue. While smaller businesses might not have a HR team, or HR may be the responsibility of the office manager, an employer who cares about the wellbeing of their staff will ensure there is someone with HR training to cover any issues. If there’s no one to speak to then your employer isn’t following correct protocols.
You can’t express your concerns
Health and safety is important, and this means that any member of staff should flag an issue if they spot one. If your employer doesn’t want to hear about the concerns you have about health and safety, you could have a real problem. This isn’t an employer that cares about your safety and wellbeing, and investigations should be made.
