There’s nothing more important than ensuring safety in your business operations. That’s because sooner or later, if safety is repeatedly ignored, an incident will take place. Not only is this unacceptable for the poor individual who suffers as a result of this, but this will eventually lead to a business being shut down by the authorities. Safety issues can occur anywhere, from a faulty product causing harm to the consumer who uses it, to a flouting of appropriate caregiving responsibilities, to improper building maintenance putting your staff or visitors in harm’s way.
It might not be the most interesting topic out there, and regular safety reviews and instructions are hardly going to enflame your heart with passion and inspiration. But it doesn’t have to be to be important. Moreover, anything we take for granted, be that the ability to think creatively, to put our ideas out there, to make money, rests on safety and the countless rules or provisions that have, unfortunately, been written in the misfortune and harm others have suffered.
In this post, we’ll discuss how to put in place a thorough safety audit in your firm so that the final outcomes are measured and appropriate:
Inspect All Building Infrastructure
Buildings get old and start to show problems just like anything else, so walking through your building every few months helps you catch issues before a real issue presents itself. Even in well-managed buildings, you’ll find issues such as like water stains on the ceiling, wobbly railings that need commercial railing replacement, or uneven floors that could trip someone up.
The electrical circuit may need extra attention because you can’t always see when something’s wrong. If you’ve got outlets that feel warm when you touch them or lights that always flicker, that’s your building trying to tell you something’s not right. Getting an electrician to look things over once a year is just practice, especially devices that require a service. Even your staff kitchen kettle needs it..
Moreover, don’t forget about fire safety. Make sure emergency exits aren’t blocked by boxes or locked when they shouldn’t be, and check that fire extinguishers aren’t expired, because they don’t last forever. This is hardly an exhaustive list, but it’s important to put your audit together capably.
Undergo Third-Party Private Compliance Audits
It’s really tough to see problems in a place you work every day, which is why bringing in someone from outside to look at safety makes sense. They notice the issues that have become invisible to you and your team.
These safety experts know what government inspectors look for because that’s their job. They’ll point out issues so you can fix them before they become actual violations that cost money. Their reports give you a clear picture of what needs fixing and can prepare you for any more official inspections.
Just don’t wait until something goes wrong to bring these people in. Make it a regular appointment you can utilize, like getting your teeth cleaned or your car serviced. It costs some money up front, sure, but it’s infinitely cheaper than dealing with accidents or getting fined.
Inspect & Test Data Safety Controls
Keeping data safe is just as important as keeping people safe, because after all that data isn’t disconnected from the systems we use to manage our lives. You need to continually check if your security actually works by testing it. Questions to ask might include – “Are your passwords strong enough? Can people access issues they shouldn’t be able to see?”
Your backup systems need testing on top of that, as it’s not enough to assume they’re working, you need to actually try recovering files sometimes. From there, work on the physical side of data security. Think about who can walk into which areas of your building, how you throw away sensitive documents, and whether screens with private information can be seen by the wrong people, as this can all be a risk, and they include those you need to account for.
Hire A Safety Professional Or Outsource
If your firm is growing, having someone whose actual job is keeping everyone safe can be important, even if they’re just employed on a part-time basis and mostly do compliance checks and onboard new hires. That’s because they know the rules inside and out and can focus on this one important thing instead of trying to handle it alongside other responsibilities.
If your business is smaller, you probably can’t justify a full-time safety person, and that’s fine, you can share with other businesses or bring in a consultant a few times a year. Just remember whoever you bring in needs to be firm enough to insist on appropriate changes, but also able to explain things in a way that gets everyone on board. Finding this balance isn’t always easy, but it’s worth looking for.
Identify Problem Areas To Work On
No business is 100% safe at all times forever. That’s a goal we have to search for of course, but it’s not one we can really achieve. So, pay attention to patterns. If you’ve had three minor accidents in the same area, or if the same kind of mistake keeps happening, that’s telling you something. Don’t just treat each incident as separate, make sure to look for the connections between them.
Then listen to what your employees tell you about their daily work. They often notice when something doesn’t feel safe long before an accident happens, and if they have easy ways for them to share these observations, then that can help you catch out an issue before it becomes a problem next time
With this advice, we belive you’ll find it easier to curate an internal safety audit for your business. Sure, it might take a little time to achieve, but the results are almost always worth the effort. After all, what is the reward for great safety? A lack of incidents. What is the punishment for failing safety? Unfortunately, that can be bottomless.
