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Managing your risk is vital on all sides of the business. When it comes to your employees, as well as any visitors to your workplace, their health and safety is one risk you need to manage as well. You might have worked to create a safe and healthy workplace, but what about the exterior of the building you own or rent? It’s just as much your responsibility, too, and here are a few ways you can make sure you see to it.
Maintaining and managing your walkways
Most of the concern about health and safety in the outdoors is going to be down to slips, trips, and falls. Depending on where you are and what surface your walkways are made of, it could be a significant threat. If you have any walkway surfaces that can turn slippery due to things like organic particles for nearby plants, you should make sure to hire a power washer to keep them in good condition so that people have good traction on them. Similarly, be aware of how winter can affect them and the need to de-ice them if they freeze over.
Not all that’s green is good
If you have plants such as trees and bushes out surrounding the property, it can make it more welcoming and better suited to its environment. However, they need to be maintained or they can come with health risks of their own. Most important is that you’re taking care of your trees so that they don’t grow large, heavy branches that hang overhead and, during or after some bad weather, might fall and cause some damage or injury. Working with an arborist can make it a lot easier to take care of that.
What if you have roads?
If you have any roads on your business property, then they will require just as much care, as well. For one, you want to make sure that they are always in good condition, calling for repairs as soon as you see any signs of potholes or similar problems that could cause accidents or damage to cars. Maintaining proper road safety through regulatory road signs can be vital, as well. If an accident is caused because you don’t manage the traffic on any roads on your property, then that could be your responsibility.
Car parks are important, too
If you have a car park, then naturally many of the concerns that apply to your roads are going to apply to them: such as keeping them in good condition, as well as making sure that they’re protected against the effects of winter, such as ice on the roads, through gritting them on a regular basis. You should also keep in mind the security of the vehicles and people in the car park, by installing a car park barrier, using concrete stops, and perhaps even making use of CCTV and better lighting to help people feel safer there.
When it comes to health and safety, you need to make sure that you’re being comprehensive, including everything that might potentially lead to accident or injury.
