A little prevention is worth a lot of cure.
This centuries-old saying was first stated by Benjamin Franklin in the 1700s to encourage his listeners to take steps to prevent fire risks, rather than wait and end up fighting a fire.
And the message still holds strong, especially when you’re a concerned employer looking to safeguard their business.
An employee who is absent due to sickness or injury can mean work disruption, loss of income and increased pressure and strain on remaining team members. When the smallest oversight can cause major blowouts in an emergency, even having a basic ‘return to work’ program ready to go is a form of prevention that can save time, money, and wellbeing.
Getting expert Workers Compensation advice and consultation is the best approach, but there are some ways to begin taking action early on.
Taking steps to prevent sickness and injury in the workplace
Know the risks
Different workplaces face different risks and threats to worker wellbeing according to the sector they operate in, the environment, and the nature of their work.
A good way to anticipate these situation-specific dangers is to work with the people occupying those jobs. By understanding what they perceive as possibly threatening their wellbeing, and motivating them to help identify areas for improvement, we can bypass catastrophe and frustration easily.
Moreover, getting together as a team to discuss how illness and injury hurts everyone in the workplace can be a good opportunity to reduce stress, increase awareness, and place value on everyone’s safety.
A happy worker is a healthy worker
We are far more likely to make mistakes, injure ourselves, and contract illnesses when we are run-down from lack of sleep, lacking energy due to poor nutrition, suffering from unaddressed mental health issues, or in need of physical exercise to fortify our immune systems.
Encouraging employees to take steps to look after themselves well and looking for ways to promote health-oriented initiatives can be an excellent preventative measure.
Seize the resource!
It’s high in the Government’s priorities to protect workers in order to ensure we have a robust and resilient economy. As a result, there are plenty of resources available to help with understanding risks to wellbeing in the workplace and how to prevent them.
Here are the different agencies operating in Australia:
SafeWork New South Wales
WorkSafe Australian Capital Territory
Navigating issues of workplace safety, prevention, and return to work can be overwhelming and stressful without the support of experienced experts. In the unfortunate event that one of your workers injure themselves, Jayrose Group Australia can also provide guidance and support throughout their recovery, including during rehabilitation. For more information on our workers compensation management services, click here.
