As a small trade business owner, there's a lot you need to focus on, from keeping on top of your finances to managing staff and providing top-notch customer service. But there are two items that should top your to-do list from the outset: health and safety.
One of the best ways to ensure your health and safety practices are on point is to get your whole team involved. Health and safety ‘buy-in’ creates a safety-conscious workplace where people are less likely to take unnecessary risks. To help you identify any potential gaps in your health and safety, we’ve put together a handy survey for you and your staff.
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If you run a small business in the US, you’re legally obliged to follow health and safety guidelines to keep your employees and customers safe. An accident doesn’t need to occur for you to be subject to penalties and fines — you have a legal responsibility to ensure that measures are in place to minimize high-risk scenarios.
Below is a comprehensive guide to workplace health and safety requirements for US trade businesses. Your obligations may differ depending on your industry and the state you’re in, so be sure to check your specific obligations and consult a legal advisor.
Aside from your legal obligations to keep your workforce safe, good health and safety practices benefit everyone. They create a culture of inclusivity and wellbeing, and a business that looks out for its employees and customers will go far.
Businesses that take an employee-centric view of their health and safety show their staff that they care about them. This goes a long way to attracting and retaining good, committed workers who share your vision.
Large companies have comprehensive health and safety policies to remain compliant with the law. Often, they’ll only subcontract work to small businesses and sole-operators who align with their health and safety standards.
Although establishing health and safety protocols can seem costly and time-consuming, it pays off in the long run. Doing all you can to keep your workers safe could save you thousands in fines or workers’ compensation if a workplace incident occurs. Safe work practices are often more efficient and lead to better long-term business outcomes too.
Employees who feel safe and valued are more motivated to do a good job, which in turn increases productivity. It’s a win-win!
With a robust health and safety plan in place, you can take comfort in the knowledge that your business is safety compliant. This will allow you to focus on other parts of your business such as marketing or building your team.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is your one-stop-shop for everything about health and safety in the US. OSHA is part of the United States Department of Labor and was created on the back of the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1970. From providing a wealth of information and assistance to training and education, OSHA is committed to ensuring ‘safe and healthful working conditions for workers by setting and enforcing standards.’
Ultimately, your business needs to be compliant with the OSH Act 1970. Why? Because it’s both good practice and the law! Here, we set out how to implement your workplace health and safety plan.
Any health and safety plan worth its salt should be proactive, not reactive. This means looking objectively at your business and mitigating risks before they cause serious injury, illness, or worse, death. It might be worth asking a competent external health and safety advisor to look over your business and give their input.
Getting your health and safety plan going can seem like a daunting task. OSHA outlines its Recommended Practices for Safety and Health Programmes.
Here’s a quick summary:
Once you’ve liaised with your workforce to identify potential risks, you need to assess these risks and put effective control measures in place. Risk assessments are living documents made to be changed and updated to suit the purpose of your business and work. The best way to conduct these assessments and make them known to your employees is to set up a simple toolbox talk meeting at the start of the day. A good toolbox talk meeting will ensure that your employees are aware of any health and safety risks, and it’ll give them the opportunity to raise any thoughts or concerns if they have them.
Here are a few things to bear in mind when developing your workplace risk assessment:
For more information, check out Tradify’s guide to site inspections and risk assessments for tradespeople.
All small businesses in the US are required to comply with health and safety laws, but not all trades carry the same risks. Here we’ve identified some of the trade-specific risks your business may need to factor in:
Despite best efforts to make your workplace safe, working in the trades is a risky job and there will likely be times when you’re faced with incidents. Knowing how to respond to these will form a key part of your overall health and safety plan.
All employers in the US are required to report any workplace fatalities or severe injuries to OSHA within specified timeframes:
Here’s how to make a report:
You must supply the following information:
When an incident occurs, it’s a stressful time for all concerned, so be sure to prepare in advance for what you need to do. Have OSHA’s contact details handy – display them on your workplace noticeboard or save the details in your phone contacts. This way, you can fulfil your reporting obligation while supporting your staff through a difficult and stressful time.
As a US trade business owner, you have a legal responsibility to make sure your business is operating safely, so it pays to get clued up. Fortunately, there is heaps of information available to help safety-proof your business. Follow the guidelines provided by OSHA to be compliant with US health and safety law.
Once you get your health and safety plan underway and your staff are operating in the safest possible environment, you’ll start to reap other benefits too. A good health and safety culture can boost business by cementing worker relationships, increasing productivity, and strengthening your reputation within your field.
Learn more about Managing Health and Safety Risks – A Guide for Tradespeople.
Find out how your staff feels about health and safety by downloading our free Health and Safety Survey Questions:
Tradify is a job management app made for tradies, by tradies. Book a live walkthrough to see the app in action, or start your free 14-day trial today.