As I have previously mentioned, as a business owner it’s crucial that health and safety in the office be one of your top priorities. That’s true whether you are renting your office space or if you own it. Chances are in either scenario you will be dealing with the issue of premises liability. Premises liability means that if anyone is injured, physically or emotionally on your property, you will be held accountable as will your business. It’s one of the reasons why health and safety is so important. But it’s not the only reason. When you hire employees, you take on the responsibility of providing a safe environment for them to work in. This is true whether you own an office or an industrial plant. So how do you go about this?
Keep Health And Safety Levels High
The easiest way to keep health and safety levels high is by making sure that your staff knows that it is one of their top priorities. They should know how to deal with a hazard before something happens in the workplace. Making sure your staff are trained in the latest H&S procedures should be a part of on the job training. It’s crucial that they know exactly what to do if and when they see a hazard. You, or a member of your staff, should also be checking your office for hazards regularly. Remember, a hazard could be anything from a flickering bulb on a stairwell to loose wiring.
Appoint Health And Safety Officers
As a business owner, you may not have time to keep a constant check on dangers in the office. It can be very hard to fit into your schedule. That’s why you should appoint health and safety officers who can look after your property for you. These are also the people that employees will go to if they have an issue. As well as this they will be in charge of keeping the logbook up to date and keeping track of any incidents as well as holding regular meetings around health and safety.
Ensure Appropriate Measures Are In Place
It’s not a bad idea to invest in some low-cost safety equipment for your office. For instance, you should always be able to show where a hazard is so that people can avoid it. Safetytac floor marking is one of the easiest and cheapest ways to do this. You can mark up a hazardous spot in your office so that people know exactly where it is. It’s also a good idea to have a repairman who you can rely on to fix potential hazards quickly before it becomes an issue.
Preemptive Measures
You should also consider whether you want to take preemptive measures against an accident before one occurs. If an employee is injured on your premises, they could be entitled to claim damages or even worse, they could sue you fro negligence. This could put a small company out of business. To avoid this possibility, you could invest in workers compensation insurance. That way if there is an incident it will be paid for and dealt with by your insurance company.
I hope that you now have a better appreciation as to why health and safety in the office is so important and what you can do to make sure that your premises are protected.
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