What Safety Provisions Should You Demand In Any Job?
No matter what job you work, you deserve to be safe while doing it. It really is as simple as that. Even those jobs we might consider “unsafe,” firefighting, for example, will have been organized via routine risk assessments, training, and constant safety equipment updates to make injury or worse much less likely than it could be.
It’s also important to note that you are never “difficult” to demand your workplace provide safety mechanisms to keep you protected. Some, you may be expected to provide yourself - for example, it’s customary for chefs to purchase steel-toe-capped rubber-soled shoes to protect against falling knives or limit the chance of slips.
That being said, safety provisions have often been earned through accidents, misfortune, and hardships, and that’s putting it politely. If you notice your employer has failed to give you customary safety equipment, or you need to put a complaint in, consider this:
Request A Medical Opinion If You Suspect Harm
If you’ve been working on a loud site without hearing protection and now have ringing in ears on a daily basis, visiting an audiologist and having a comprehensive inspection performed is essential. This medical opinion and assistance can help you escalate the case with legal representation, making it clear where the failings lay, pointing out your lack of access to safety equipment, and demanding fair compensation. Unfortunately, this kind of outcome is the one impossible-to-ignore motivation for some employers, as an issue that leads to monetary compensation or even points to criminal liability will enforce change, or at least stop bad practice from flying under the radar.
Well-Maintained Equipment
An industrial apron, a hard hat, and thick gloves, all these are elements of safety equipment we use are important elements of staying safe, protecting against hazardous materials, or simply serving as a precaution. But wearing such items is completely useless if they’re not maintained correctly. For example, a hard hat, if used once to protect against falling debris, must be replaced because the structural integrity has been diminished. If you notice that safety equipment itself is not up to code, is damaged in any way, or has been involved in issues in the past, you’re well within your rights to reject their use.
Emergency Response Protocols
Any company worth its platform should be very clear about how staff should respond to safety issues. That might involve how to report fires and where to evacuate to, how to alert a data breach, how to switch any industrial machinery off immediately, or how to report and react to a chemical spill. This is hardly an exhaustive list, but as your employer doesn’t have to invent every protocol from scratch (simply adopt established practice, match safety codes and conduct risk assessments), a lack of this planning is a clear indication that safety priorities are not being met. In those circumstances, reporting your workplace to higher authorities is key.
With this advice, you’ll be certain to not only expect safety measures in jobs you work, but demand them.