Health and safety is always a critical concern for all businesses. If you look at the law, it states that you have personal liability for any injuries or accidents happening on your premises. So, if an employee falls over, this means you’re liable for any injuries sustained. The same applies to customers that have accidents on your premises. This is why retail store owners should worry about health and safety more than others. Realistically, your business model means more people are in your workplace every day. This increases safety risks, so you need a good plan in place. The following three steps will help you improve the health & safety of your business in no time at all.
By Team Savant
Image: Melanie Pongratz
Provide Clear Cautionary Signage
You must have signage in your workplace that indicates a potential hazard. The most obvious example is a wet floor sign. If there’s been a spillage or someone has just cleaned an area, you need signage to tell people to be careful. Without this, you’re asking for accidents, and you will pay loads of money in personal injury compensation claims. Think about other cautionary signage for warning visitors as well — danger signs near electrical equipment, for example.
Install Safety Lighting
Safety lighting is a specific type of lighting that helps keep people safe in emergencies. You’ll discover that the majority of industrial lighting installation companies will provide safety lighting for your business. An excellent example of this is an exit sign that lights up by your emergency exit routes. Some businesses even have lights on the floor or ceiling that light a pathway for people to follow. Things like this keep people safe as they know where to go in case of an emergency. Without it, all hell would break loose as everyone would be running for the main entrance/exit instead of going to a more convenient emergency exit.
Train Your Employees
A health & safety plan is redundant if your employees aren’t trained. All the steps you take to make your business safe will be for nothing as an employee can ruin everything. Think about it, your staff will be on the shop floor all the time, and they’re the ones that should make things safe for customers. So, if they don’t put out the safety signs or they leave hazards lying around, people will get hurt. Make sure you train them to follow safe practices at all times. This lets them know what they can and can’t do on a daily basis. It should create a much safer environment for your customers, as well as the employees themselves. When you hire new employees, make sure part of their training focuses on health & safety so they’re up to speed with how things are done around here.
By definition, an accident isn’t intentional. No business intends to cause someone harm, but things happen all the time. While it’s impossible to completely wipe accidents off the table, you can do your bit to reduce their likelihood. This three-step plan is just the beginning, ensure you have a proper health and safety plan that all your employees are aware of.