You probably don’t think about it on a daily basis, but if you pause for a minute and calculate, you’ll be surprised that the average person spends around 40 years at work. Now it is clear why more and more employers become aware of their workers’ wellness and do their best to make a workplace healthy and safe.
However, even the most enthusiastic managers face difficulties. Despite the multiple talks about hazards and risks, procedures and rules hanging on every visible spot, different signs and slogans, not all employees ignore what is taught during the epa course and avoid wearing personal protective equipment (PPE).
Why do the employees disregard PPE?
It’s a natural question that the employer will ask after all the attempts to motivate the employees failed. And we are here to give you the answer.
There can be several reasons for such a behavior:
- Workers are not familiar with the health and safety regulations.
- The employees have irregular training or not at all.
- The requirements are not communicated clearly.
- The lack of good examples (if the supervisor ignores the rules, so will the subordinates).
- Uncomfortable or not personalized equipment.
What to do to motivate them to wear PPE?
1. Create a security culture.
The very first thing you need to teach a new joiner in your team is how important safety is to your company. Conducting training, systematic risk assessments, or the use of placards and slang about hazards have a positive effect on ensuring safety at work. Keep employees informed about safety issues and keep track of accidents at your facility to remind employees of the importance of OSH rules in the work environment.
2. Provide the proper equipment.
If better lighting, better ventilation and better sanitation would contribute to a safer workplace, address these issues. No matter how well you present the principles and how eloquently you formulate them, your employees are also paying close attention to your actions. Show them that you mean what you say, and show them that their welfare matters to you.
3. Introduce the relevant training.
Core training like EPA lead safe certification is the certain way to connect the regulations on paper and practice. It is important to educate the workers about when and why they need to wear PPE, how to use it properly, how to inspect it, and how to store and care for it. The training should be tailored to the different departments of the organization.
4. Reward for compliance.
A clear disciplinary procedure for non-compliance with safety requirements will help convince employees of the importance of working safely. Your subordinates should feel responsible for ensuring safety at the plant. As an employer, you should also introduce bonuses for exemplary compliance, wearing of protective clothing and use of required safety equipment.
