If your business requires employees to work night shifts, you have a responsibility to keep them safe. There are a lot of potential hazards that people face, when working night shifts. Tiredness, for example, can lead to accidents in the workplace, or collisions on the road, when driving to and from work. There’s a higher risk of people becoming victims of crime at night too, especially if a business is broken into.
Some employees may experience mental health issues as a result of their working patterns, and the isolation it can sometimes cause.
As an employer, it’s up to you to take steps to prevent these problems, so that your night shift staff can be safe, happy, and healthy. Here are some of the best changes you can make.
Invest in Security Equipment
At night, you are more likely to have problems with burglars and vandals, and this creates a potentially dangerous situation for any night shift employees in the building. It is imperative that you invest in security equipment to deter criminals and make your workforce feel more secure.
Common deterrents include security lights and CCTV cameras. These allow you to see what’s happening all around and make your business less attractive to criminals.
You should also consider an anti-loitering device like the mosquito speaker too. When strangers are loitering about the area, it can be very intimidating for employees and potentially dangerous for them, when they are leave work to go home. An anti-loitering device emits a high pitched sound to disperse groups of young people.
By investing in the right security equipment, you can drastically reduce the risk of crime during the night shift.
Maintain Good Communication
Usually, there are only a handful of people working the night shift, and if there is an issue, it can be hard to contact anybody. Maintaining good communication is key to staff safety. Two way radios are excellent for keeping in touch, because you have instant connection and you don’t have to rely on phone signals. You can also invest in personal alarms that can be used to silently alert the authorities if there’s a problem.
Knowing that they have an easy way to call for help, if need be, makes a big difference to night shift employees.
Provide Mental Health Support
People often overlook the impact that night shifts can have on their mental health. Working nights causes a lot of disruption to sleep patterns, which has a big effect on psychological wellbeing. Many night shift workers also struggle to maintain good social relationships, because their schedule conflicts with their friends’ and family’s timetables.
Isolation can also lead to mental health issues, like depression, if not managed properly. As an employer, you need to provide good mental health support to your employees if they need it. Make sure to touch base with them regularly, and if there are any problems, give your staff access to resources like counseling, to help them manage.
The risks to your employees, are dramatically increased when they work night shifts, and it’s up to you to protect your workforce. Follow these steps to keep your staff safe.
