How to check your employer is looking out for your physical health when returning to work
As thousands of people across the UK return to their places of work it is a good time to reassess how things will be when you return to your place of work. Whether you are returning on a full-time basis, or to a blended model of workplace and home working, it’s your employer’s duty to ensure your physical health is not compromised at work.
As businesses up and down the UK get ready to welcome their employees back, here’s what to check for to make sure your employer is protecting your physical health when you return.
Wearing protective workwear
Depending on your industry and the nature of what your company does, protective workwear will vary. From ear defenders to protect employees’ hearing to masks, gloves and visors, the right workwear is essential to stay safe.
Due to the events of the last year or so, employees are more conscious of protecting their physical health than ever. It is worthwhile speaking to your colleagues and manager to see how they feel about workplace physical safety and discuss how they can help protect everyone appropriately.
Investing in protective workwear will likely improve everyone’s wellbeing and morale when returning to the workplace.
Health and safety regulations
When you return to the office, site, warehouse, or wherever your workplace might be, the company must adhere to the stringent health and safety regulations set out by the UK government.
In addition, they might have specific regulations that you and their employees are expected to adhere to in your workplace. Ensure that your employer provides with you with refresher information on workplace health and safety regulations.
They can point you in the direction of government legislation or their employee handbook, if you have one of these.
Catering to employee capabilities
All employees are individual human beings, with individual physical capabilities. As an employer, they will want to get the best out of your team. Your manager should understand the unique capabilities of their staff, which can help them to facilitate maintaining employees’ physical health at work.
In addition, you may wish to report any medical concerns you have about your own physical health, to help them best assess managing your day-to-day work activities. It is important that you can fulfil your job role comfortably and that adjustments are made to support you also.
Providing appropriate training
When you first started in your role, it is likely that you were provided extensive training. Whether it was in the form of a presentation, video, quizzes, or interactive training that was online.
As you start to return to the workplace, refresher physical health safety training could be important. One, for your own physical wellbeing, but on the flip side can also keep everyone else safe, too.
Keeping yourself safe and physically well at work is essential and part of their duty as an employer.
