Health and safety is a phrase that has been commonly used in recent years, often in a negative light when changes are forced through due to unsafe equipment or rules that have been outdated by the introduction of advanced technology. However, this negative connotation has led to some businesses becoming too relaxed about their health and safety measures and allowed some people to easily ignore the phrase which can have drastic outcomes for potential customers and occupants of the property.
If you are worried about your building falling behind on health and safety procedures make sure you have covered everything below to ensure the safety of yourself, your staff and your visitors.
Fire Safety and Exits
Fire safety is of the utmost importance in any building and should be an event that is prepared for by carrying out regular drills and teaching new staff about responsibilities and procedures. This should include locating the fire extinguishers, knowing which fire extinguishers should be used for certain fires and where to escape from in the case of a fire. If you have further fire safety equipment in place, such as fire blankets, letterbox fire guards on doors and escape equipment, this should be demonstrated so new users know how to use equipment safely and efficiently.
Proper fire procedures include keeping all fire exits accessible and open at all times so anyone in the building can escape regardless of the time they are in the building. Managers should regularly check fire exits to ensure no one has blocked access to the exit or put anything in the way that could be considered a trip hazard.
Temperature Control
With weather becoming more extreme and temperatures rising higher and lower than ever before, ensuring your building has sufficient temperature control not only takes care of the comfort of your staff and customers but it helps with the maintenance of your building. By putting less stress on building structure and the internal machinery, you can ensure durability and longevity of your equipment, saving you money in repair and replacement.
Rules on minimum and maximum working temperatures differ depending on city and country so make sure you have sufficient heating or air conditioning depending on where you are based. Aiming to provide an environment ideal to customers is a good way to draw your target audience in as well, like having a cool shop on a hot day and offering hot drinks on a cold morning.
Mental Health Support
Stress happens both in and outside the workplace and sometimes it becomes so much it can overspill from one into the other. It’s important that working employees are given the option of mental health support, whether this is in the form of an outside point of contact to talk to or internal stress relief days that include yoga, massages and other low-energy activities. If your employees are well supported and feel listened to, they are more likely to remain loyal to your company and remain productive in their work. Happy employees work harder and take pride in what they do, so talk to your staff regularly to find out if they feel well supported.
Providing your staff opportunities to socialise and spend time together can help form bonds and friendships, helping teams work better and offer an improved quality of work. This could be as simple as facilitating lunch together, arranging an evening of dinner and drinks or organising team building games and activities.
By ensuring the basics of your business are taken care of, it’s easier to maintain the happiness and comfort of your customers and staff allowing you to take care of other things like attracting more business and improving internal practices. Before you next aim to grow your business, revisit your health and safety measures to make sure everything is in place and everyone is up to speed with procedures.
