Workplace safety should be a top priority for all businesses. Read about workplace safety topics and get workplace safety tips from Travelers. Skip to main content Open mobile menu. Creating a safety culture in the workplace can help keep employees safe and prevent workplace accidents.

• Health And Safety Tips For Staff

Health And Safety Tips For Staff

Key points • Housekeeping can help prevent injuries and improve productivity. • Every worker should play a role in housekeeping, even if that means keeping his or her own workspace clean.

• Housekeeping should be an ongoing process, not a one-time practice. To some people, the word “housekeeping” calls to mind cleaning floors and surfaces, removing dust, and organizing clutter. But in a work setting, it means much more.

Housekeeping is crucial to safe workplaces. It can help prevent injuries and improve productivity and morale, as well as make a good first impression on visitors, according to Cari Gray, safety consultant for the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation.

It also can help an employer avoid potential fines for non-compliance. The practice extends from traditional offices to industrial workplaces, including factories, warehouses and manufacturing plants that present special challenges such as hazardous materials, combustible dust and other flammables. Experts agree that all workplace safety programs should incorporate housekeeping, and every worker should play a part.

In addition, housekeeping should have management’s commitment so workers realize its importance. Here are 11 tips for effective workplace housekeeping. 1 Prevent slips, trips and falls Slips, trips and falls were the second leading cause of nonfatal occupational injuries or illnesses involving days away from work in 2013, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. OSHA’s Walking-Working Surfaces Standard (1910.22(a)) states that all workplaces should be “kept clean and orderly and in a sanitary condition.” The rule includes passageways, storerooms and service rooms.