As a business owner, keeping people safe is always going to be your utmost concern. You want to keep your employees, clients, and business safe and protected. Keeping people at your business healthy and protected not only helps them, but it helps your business be more productive, while also protecting you from liability. Making efforts to prevent office hazards and creating plans in case they occur will help give you and your employees peace of mind. There are many ways in which you can create a safe environment and maintain it in the future. You’ll need to first know about the main hazards that there can be in any office. Here are four of the main office hazards to look out for and how to best prevent them from occurring.
1. Fire
Fires are a top safety concern that your business should be aware of. This is important to watch out for because it’s easily one of the most destructive issues you can come across in any office space.
When there is a fire, it causes considerable devastation to your office and to your people, so prevention is the key here. That means having all the appropriate fire safety tools in place such as fire extinguishers, sprinkler systems, smoke detectors, and fire alarms.
In addition, watch out for electrical faults, combustible dust, and other potential fire hazards. This way, you should be able to keep your people safe from fire in the office.
While prevention is key, it’s also important to have a plan in case of a fire. Make sure you create a protocol for your team to follow to help ensure everyone’s safety in an emergency. Ensure everyone knows where all the exits to the office are, where the fire extinguishers are located, and where the fire alarm is in case they need to pull it. Also, consider creating a meeting point outside the office, so that if there is a fire you know all members of your team are safe.
2. Falls
The single most common type of workplace injury results from trips and falls. So anything you can do to reduce the number of these in your office is certainly going to be a good idea to protect your employees and your business.
How can prevent falls? It’s all about having the appropriate protocols in place for people to follow. Don’t store heavy items on high shelves, make sure that walkways are always kept clear and carpets are level and make sure staircases aren’t too steep and have hand railings.
Train your staff on safety protocols to prevent falls and things to avoid. Good training will keep your staff mindful of safety hazards, and then you should find that nobody suffers any falls in the workplace at all.
3. Electrics
Problems with electricity can cause a fire, as discussed above, which is a huge problem to watch out for. But there is also the risk of electrocution, which can be harmful and potentially lethal too.
To avoid injuries from electrics keep from using electrical items which are behaving strangely. This includes if they are hot to the touch, there are exposed live wires, or anything sparking or smoking. Very often, such items will turn out to be quite problematic, so that is something that you should try to bear in mind here.
Consider replacing such items or having an electrician examine them to ensure they are safe. While this might seem costly, it’s less costly than a potential emergency and keeps your office safe. Take care with electricity, and encourage your people to do the same, and it should make a difference to everyone’s safety and well-being.
4. Viruses
Finally, the recent pandemic has shown us just the importance of preventing sicknesses. Employees should be virus-aware in the office to prevent the potential spread of sickness.
While you might not still be following along with covid-19 restrictions, there is certainly much to be said for many of those practices in office environments. These practices include keeping your distance, frequent hand washing, hand sanitizer stations, and being cautious at work when sick.
It’s good to still practice those things, because a virus ripping through the workforce can often be quite destructive, and could cause huge problems for the individuals who work for you as well as the business’ productivity levels too.
Try encouraging your team to do these safety practices. Also provide them with the resources they need to keep healthy, such as sanitizer, cleaning products, and enough sick days, so if they are sick, they can call out and keep the rest of your staff healthy.
Make your office safe now
Business owners have a lot on their plates, but keeping their team and clients safe is a top priority. Office hazards can harm employees, hurt productivity, and create liability, so eliminating hazards is an important cause. Also creating an environment where your employees feel safe will eliminate stress and improve productivity. Fires, falls, electric issues, and viruses can create safety concerns in the office, but there are plans and practices you can do to prevent and be ready for an emergency. There are various online resources and successful blogs dedicated to office management and running a business that might assist you in creating a safe and productive work environment. Start creating a great office space with the above tips to eliminate office hazards.
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Alaine Meier is a blogger at LadyBossBlogger. She graduated from the College of the Holy Cross with a BA in Economics and a minor in Environmental Studies.
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