3 Key Safety Tips for New Business Owners
Planning to start your own business? Your new business will require a large investment of time and money, so it’s important to protect your assets, your customers and your employees from a variety of potential risks. Follow these three essential tips to make sure your business is safe.
- Install a Security System
A high-quality security system is crucial to deter potential crime as well as provide footage to investigate incidents after the fact. When customers and employees are aware that your business contains security cameras, the feeling of being watched encourages them to be on good behavior. Footage recovered from security cameras can often be used to investigate incidents of theft, damage or accident. Be sure to strategically place all security cameras to maximize the system’s deterrent and investigative value.
- Promote Fire Safety
No business is immune to the risk of fire, which can damage business assets and potentially cause injury to employees or customers. Follow standard fire safety protocol and install a fire extinguisher on every floor of your business and make employees aware of its location. Replace interior doors with commercial rated fire doors to prevent the spread of fire should one break out. Finally, make sure your business location has a working automatic sprinkler system to act as the first line of defense during a fire, clearing the way for employees and customers to escape unharmed.
- Have a Plan
In today’s world, you have to be prepared for the unexpected. Potential intruders know how to exploit the weak points in a business’s security. If they are able to enter your facilities, they could steal valuable information or property, and can even cause physical harm to customers or employees. For this reason, it’s crucial to implement a threat reporting system to keep all occupants of your business informed of any potential threats. In addition, create a plan of action and encourage employees to implement it in case of emergencies. Designate a responsible employee as a safety officer and place them in charge of notifying emergency officials and implementing evacuation procedures. Try to do a practice run with your employees at least once every year to make sure everyone is up to date with your safety protocol. Having a plan will reduce confusion, and potentially save lives, should an emergency situation occur.
You can never be too prepared when the security of your livelihood is at stake. By following these tips, you’ll keep your customers, employees and assets safe if an unexpected event occurs. New business owners should also implement an employee monitoring software like Workpuls which will allow them to see if the employees are performing any suspicious activities on the computers.
