Running a business requires some skills that any good owner or manager usually knows how to nurture and inspire in employees and colleagues. However these skills will not always be enough to ensure the company runs smoothly. Before launch, many practical – rather than managerial – issues will be coming your way and you should be able to deal with them in the smoothest possible way.
For a start, you will need a legal knowledge of the industry you will be operating in and what will be required of you to make sure that you are providing a safe place to visit for customers and an even safer environment for your employees to work in. Enforcing safety on the workplace means also influencing the long-term growth of your business and avoiding many hidden costs that are connected with dangerous conditions and work-related injuries.
In order to help you work out the safety measures you will need to implement in your future business, we thought we’d list some of the most important safety elements that will help you run everything smoothly.
For a start, you should work out a sound evacuation plan. All your employees should know the escape routes, safety procedures, illumination and emergency exits. These will usually be printed and stuck somewhere visible, in a shared area.
If your business involves some physical efforts, it is also essential to provide your workers with personal protective equipment (PPE). This is usually made up of compulsory safety shoes, goggles to protect from flying particles, gloves to avoid cuts and hard helmets that will protect the workers from direct impact with falling objects. For more information about what’s expected to you, you can check out this link.
Apart from personal protections, you will also need to think of overall protection for the business area itself – be it a warehouse, shop or office. Among the most important forms of protection is fire protection, which involves keeping the premises safe from fire. You should start by identifying possible sources of ignition, then pay attention to important details such as replacing flammable materials and implementing a safe-smoking policy.
If you want to be on the safe side, you might also consider more powerful ways of preventing a fire, such durasteel walls. These are normally used in very risky environments such as petrochemical factories and power stations, and are easily the most fireproof solution for your company’s walls.
Finally, don’t forget that you and your employees will need to be able to deal with emergencies. Having an easy to find safety first aid kit is a good start, but you will also need at least two of your employees to be trained to take charge of first-aid duties. A number of bodies can provide all the first aid training your employees need: you will be able to choose between regulated qualifications and voluntary societies, depending on your needs and budget.
