Anything can happen in business. Sometimes you end up facing an unexpected emergency, which could be anything from a power cut to a fire or a weather event. When something happens that affects your business, you need to know how to handle it properly and how to keep your workplace safe. An incident doesn’t always mean everyone has to go home but, whether your staff is evacuated or not, you have to ensure the workplace is as safe as possible while they are still on the premises. Here are some of the things you will need to do to keep your workplace safe.
Have Emergency Procedures
Knowing what to do during an emergency is a must if you want to protect staff and anyone else who might be on the premises. If there are no clear procedures, you could put everyone at risk because they don’t know how they’re supposed to respond. It’s important to have written procedures that detail what should happen in the event of a fire, a power cut, or anything else that might happen. Staff should receive the correct training and information about how they should respond and who is responsible for different parts of the process.
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Ensure You Have Emergency Lighting
One of the things that you need during an emergency is to be able to see clearly. If the power goes out, whether through fault or by design, everyone still needs to be able to see so they can get out of the building (or, in some cases, continue to work). Emergency lighting will help to keep your workplace safe and can also be used to direct people when they need to leave. Emergency lighting should be tested regularly so that you know it’s working and you can rely on it if you ever need it.
Set Up Temporary Temperature Control
Some workplace emergencies may mean that heating or cooling systems no longer work. This can lead to an uncomfortable or even dangerous workplace if it’s not addressed. If you don’t have backup systems, the best option may be to use a service like Thermaright Hire Solutions to hire heaters or other solutions that will heat or cool the workplace. You can access these products quickly when you need them to keep your workplace going. However, sometimes you will need to consider whether the best option is to send your staff home or to another location.
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Know When to Close
It’s essential to have a process for deciding when it’s necessary to send employees home and close your business during an emergency. Sometimes it may be obvious, such as when there is a fire in the building. However, there may need to be policies in place for some situations. For example, a minimum and maximum temperature for the workplace will solidify when the working environment is no longer healthy or safe for your staff to remain in.
Keep your workplace safe in an emergency by putting the right procedures in place so you can respond appropriately.
