Whether you operate a small home business or a sprawling corporation, the safety of your employees falls upon you as a top priority. At the moment, the potential effects of the Covid-19 pandemic are probably at the forefront of your thoughts and while they should be, an overall protection plan is required in order to protect your employees properly.
In addition, data protection is one of the most important aspects of your duty as an employer. As important and vital as both of these issues are right now, they are beyond the scope of this article which focuses on the implementation of physical protection against harmful incidents such as fire, natural disasters, airborne hazards, and criminal behavior.
Disaster Strategies
Disaster and acts of God can happen to anyone at any time. Just recently, a residential building collapsed in Miami because of a suspected sinkhole and poor building maintenance. Incorporating a solid disaster strategy across your business is absolutely essential since the risk of casualties is very high should a natural disaster or fire befall your building, therefore it is essential that your staff are aware of and actively practice adequate disaster evacuation plans.
Alongside a regularly practiced evacuation plan, fire alarm system services can be used to inspect all aspects of your fire protection plan. These should be used as an extension to your legally required fire drills and assessments. In addition, contingency and alternative evacuation plans can be made in case of blocked exits from earthquakes and all employees should be trained in emergency handling and medical supplies should be readily available.
Cleaning Services
An often overlooked aspect of employee safety is that of effective cleaning and building maintenance. Slips, trips, and falls at work are the most common reasons for injury with the majority of those being slippery floors that aren’t indicated with proper signage. This situation can land you hefty penalties from subsequent lawsuits since you are liable for health and safety.
Other cleaning services include adequate dust extraction using properly maintained HVAC systems that provide acceptable temperature controls and indoor air quality. Employees with asthma or other respiratory conditions could have their issues exacerbated by poorly maintained indoor air and Covid-19 has also been reported to make respiratory issues worse.
Anti-Social Protection
Criminal acts against businesses are nothing new and year on year, incidents against people performing their jobs rise and in the US alone, 2 million people per year suffer criminal abuse at work. Many criminal acts and business disasters such as robbery are perpetrated by an unknown actor, however many incidents are reported as being inflicted by a coworker.
The majority of these incidents include sexual assaults against women at around 30,000 annually in the United States. These shocking statistics mean that it is vital you protect your employees from both internal and external threats. Investing in high-quality security systems is a good start but being proactive is even better. Criminal record checks and providing methods for staff to report abuse will deter or prevent further crimes if you act upon information received.
