Health and safety at work are crucial for businesses. Therefore, it’s essential to your legal duty to ensure that your business clients are protected from physical harm at all times.
If you’re running a business, clients must also remain safe on your premises. This post will provide five helpful health and safety tips for ensuring your clients are kept safe on your premises.
But first, why should client safety on your premises matter as much as profit margins and cost savings when running your business?
Clients Could Sue if They’re Injured in an Accident Due to Your Company’s Negligence
Suppose you have a client injured while on your premises; they may still be able to sue you for negligence. The client could even seek compensation for medical bills, lost wages, and future care by making the case that you should have taken reasonable steps to prevent it from happening.
One important caveat, however, is that simply being health and safety conscious doesn’t guarantee you won’t have to deal with overzealous clients who may try to take advantage of your business under the guise of an injury on your premises. In such cases, it’s best to leverage professional services such as Abels and Annes, personal injury lawyers, to ensure you’re protected.
Now that that’s out of the way, let’s jump right into some valuable tips to ensure you never have to deal with such lawsuits against your business.
1. Make Sure The Property Is Hazard-Free
Hazardous materials pose risks to a client’s health or safety and make one area where businesses that value client satisfaction should focus. These can include chemicals, flammable materials, and toxic gasses. You should have a list of all hazardous items on your premises and ensure that any electrical or mechanical devices are checked for safety.
This practice will also help you track the chemicals in your office environment so you know where to go if a problem occurs.
2. Train All Staff on Health and Safety Hazards
The first step to ensuring your premises are safe is to train all staff to recognize the hazard and respond. This training should cover all hazards, including those that may not be obvious, such as viruses and bacteria.
Many health and safety hazards are preventable, but sometimes, you just cannot prevent some; they just happen. For example, employees may have a medical condition that makes them more susceptible to illness or injury at work.
3. Display Signage and Safety Equipment
Display signage should be visible, legible, and easy to understand. Therefore, you should place it in a central position where it can be seen by workers and clients alike. In addition, you must choose signs that are easy for people with sight problems to read, such as using prominent characters on a light background or Braille when necessary (for example, when describing a particular area within the premises).
If an individual is injured on your premises due to a lack of proper signage, they may have grounds to successfully file a personal injury claim. As explained by Mausner Graham, to strengthen their case, the injured party needs to gather evidence, including photographs of the scene and the absence of warning signs. However, to prevent such situations from occurring in the first place, it’s crucial to have proper signage and safety equipment in place.
4. Complete a Safety Audit
If you own a business, it’s essential to know what safety measures are in place and how they are implemented. The best way to do this is through a thorough safety audit. A safety audit is a comprehensive review of the workplace environment, including all hazards and potential hazards.
A safety audit should include all employees, contractors, and sub-contractors who may have access to the premises. It’s vital that everyone involved understands their role in keeping the client safe and that they are aware of any potential hazards within the space.
5. Document Health and Safety Information
This tip here is a no-brainer, but it’s worth repeating: Documenting your health and safety information is essential to ensuring that your clients know the risks they face while on your premises.
This practice will help them feel more secure and help them comply with any safety regulations. You can do this by providing a written record of your policies in line with occupational health and safety standards.
Conclusion
So there you have it – a host of tips to keep you and your clients safe on your premises. It’s not difficult to do it; just make sure your checklist is up to date and that you follow it. That, more than anything else, will ensure you and your clients are in the clear!
