When you run an office, you need to make sure that all your staff are safe. Every few months, you need to have a safety check to see that everything is above board. If you fail this check, you could have to pay a fine or, in extreme cases, shut down your business altogether. You need to avoid having any problems within your office, which means that you need to keep everything safe. If you are unaware of the possible problems, you might find that you fail. Every year, more and more offices fail their inspection, causing the business owners no end of hassle. Here are the main reasons that they don’t pass the proper checks.
Faulty plugs and wiring
If you have not checked your electric system in some time, it might be wise to have an electrician come to your home and check it for you. Over time, the quality of wiring can deteriorate, which means that you could have problems. If you have faulty plugs, for example, someone could electrocute themselves. You might think that your wires are safe, but you have no way of knowing whether they are unless you check. If an official finds that your electric system is faulty, you could fail your inspection.
No fire safety features
Do you ever think about fire safety? This problem is by far the biggest reason that people tend to fail their checks. If you don’t have an adequate level of safety, you will find that you get into some serious trouble. It is crucial that both you and your staff know what to do in the event of a fire. You should have regular drills to make sure that everybody knows what they need to do to stay safe. You also need to make sure that you have extinguishers on site at all times. That way, people have a way in which they can combat a fire should it start.
Outdated security measures
When did you last change your safety measures? If you can’t remember when you updated the way you do things, it has probably been far too long. The rules and regulations for these things tend to change all the time. It is your role as an employer to ensure that everyone in your office is safe. You need to protect them in a sense. If one of your employees has a work accident you are culpable for it. That means that you might need to pay them some compensation.
Untidy office areas
If an inspector comes to your office and finds that it is messy and untidy, you could fail your safety check. Few people realize how important this aspect of security is. If there is clutter all over the place, you are not providing a safe working environment for your staff. When there are loads of things all over the place, you could find that there are more accidents than there would usually be. That is why you need to make an effort to clean up the area when you are at work.
Lack of education
Health and safety measures are not just about what you provide within the workspace. You need to educate yourself and your staff about the proper procedures. Every month, you should spend some time working to make sure that your staff understand you. They need to know what the safety features are so that they can use them. If you never talk to your staff about how they can protect themselves, you have failed them.
The next time you have a health and safety check, you want to make sure that you meet all the requirements. That way, you will know that you are doing the best thing for your staff.
