If you run a business, chances are, you run some sort of commercial premises to support its operations. This could be an office where office based staff work. It could be a warehouse where goods are stored and staff work to manage orders and stock. It could be a restaurant, a cafe, a bar, a hotel or another form of hospitality. No matter what type of buisness you’re running, if you decide to provide your staff with commercial premises, or if you have a brick and mortar store to sell to members of the public, you’re going to have to do a lot when it comes to health and safety. Health and safety is a series of rules and laws that have been put in place to protect employees and other members of the public while they engage with your business. If you fail to implement the rules and laws and something happens to harm someone on your premises, you’re going to find yourself in legal trouble that will damage your business’ reputation and can cost you a fortune in compensation payouts. So, to help you avoid this, here are some key areas to focus on when it comes to implementing health and safety in your commercial spaces.
Fire Safety
Hopefully, a fire will never break out in your premises. But it’s important that you have procedures and equipment in place should this ever happen. First, you need to make sure that your commercial premises has sufficient and practically located fire exits. These should be introduced to staff and other team members who work within the space. They should also be clearly signposted and labelled with fire exit signage. Next, you need to make sure that you have a fire protocol in place. This should appear on signs and be introduced to your staff through training too. It should detail what to do in the event of a fire and where the fire meeting point is to ensure that everyone has got out of the building. Finally, you need fire extinguishers. There is a whole host available, so get specialised advice o which to invest in. If you have a warehouse or other large scale space, look into fire curtains to prevent the rapid spread of fire. If you have a kitchen in your workplace, fire blankets are another essential.
Hygiene
Your workplace needs to be clean. Poor hygiene in the workplace could result in illness. This is why you need to hire a Commercial Cleaning Service to keep the space up to scratch. This could range from a day porter who is always on site for spills and messes, or cleaning staff who attend in the evenings.
Slips and Trips
You need to make sure that anything that could pose a slip or trip risk is clearly labelled and highlighted. This means signs warning of unexpected steps. It means signs to be placed over wet floors. It can also mean signs that warn of low ceilings or low parts of stairs that people could bump their heads on, causing them to fall.
Hopefully, each of the steps outlined above will make for a more safe and healthy workspace for you and your staff!
