Businesses face many different threats. You always have the physical threat of your premises being broken into or damaged in some way. You have threats in terms of litigations and lawsuits filed against you. There are online threats from cyberattacks and malware, etc., and many more. All these things can not only cost you money, but they can damage your reputation and cause your business to close instead of grow. So, what can you, as a business owner, do to ensure that your business is safe for yourself, your staff, and your customers?
Let’s take a look at some ways you can make our business safer.
Conduct a Risk Assessment
In order to make your business safer, you need to assess the risks. A complete and thorough risk assessment is needed in the three main risk areas: human risks, physical risks, and technology risks. Human risks are things hazards such as things that can cause slips, trips, falls, car accidents, injuries caused by the wrong chairs, etc. One of the most common is drug abuse problems. Any employee caught drinking or doing drugs may be covered by your insurance policy to receive care. Physical risks can mean anything from fires and floods to vulnerable areas where you could be broken into. Technology risks are generally things such as cyber-attacks, and even things such as lighting short-circuiting your infrastructure. Once you have created your list of risks, you can go about mitigating them.
Focus on Fire Safety
One of the worse things that could happen is that you have a fire and no fire safety strategy. You may think fire drills at work are a bit silly, but nothing could be further from the truth. You and your staff need to know what to do if an actual fire occurs. Also, you need to find potential sources of fire and prevent them. Generally speaking, fires occur as a result of equipment malfunctioning or some kind of human error. Ensure that everyone is trained on all equipment and arrange fire safety inspections to be carried out in the most hazardous areas.
Train Your Staff
Your staff are key in keeping the workplace safe. Make them all champions of safety by making looking for hazards a small part of their everyday role. Ensure that they are trained in terms of computer safety. No strange USBs in the computers do not open phishing spam, change passwords every few weeks, etc. A lot of malware comes in from these phishing scams, so they must be advised never to open unusual emails. Train them in how to safely walk up the stairs, holding the handrail, for example. The car park is another area that can be quite hazardous so you can impose rules there. It all depends on your individual workspace. It is probably a good idea to train your staff regularly on everything that is essential to your business.
Have Measures in Place
Having a great CCTV system is essential if you have a building with a lot of valuables assets. You may require a security guard too. Badges for staff, so they have to buzz in and out, is another important measure. In terms of your I.T., having a good I.T systems manager is essential. You may need special testing for your cyber security, like penetration testing, to ensure that everything is working exactly as you intend it to. You will also require all the right insurance. Insurance is key if anyone does happen to hurt themselves at work due to an accident. You might need to have a good lawyer in your corner too. Think about things such as smoke detectors and fire hydrants too. You might even want to have a few plants dotted about the help keep the air as clean as possible, as well as air purifiers. Once the risk assessment is completed, you will have a much better idea of just what measure you need in place.
Never Stop Thinking About Safety
Safety is such an important and ongoing issue that you can never really let your guard down. As soon as you do that, something is bound to happen. So you need to stay vigilant. If you manage to get staff involved in safety, then you will have more eyes and ears on the lookout for things that can cause problems So, encourage an open and honest communication system so your staff feels they can speak up whenever they see something amiss. Remember, businesses are vulnerable to all sorts of attacks, so it makes sense to think of safety.
