Often times, businesses don’t give workplace safety the attention it deserves until someone gets hurt on the job and the learn the hard way how badly injured employees hurts their business. No one likes to see workplace injuries but too frequently, businesses are reactionary when it comes to putting forth safety measures.
If you want to improve your business, then your company’s safety practices are an excellent place to start. Bodily injuries can be devastating to your business and your employees, but most accidents in the workplace are preventable. If you want to create a safer environment in your company, then continue reading to get some tips.
Insure your business to the teeth.
One of the first safeguards you should put in place to protect your business is insurance. While no one likes having to talk to their insurance agent because it usually means something has gone wrong, it’s still better than not having an insurance agent to talk to if the worst happens.
Your first concern needs to be insuring your business itself against potential damage from accidents, harsh weather, and any other potential disasters that could strike your business. Be sure to get the best property insurance coverage that your budget will allow — remember, there’s no such thing as being over-insured.
You would also be wise to get workers’ compensation insurance to protect your business in the case that an employee suffers a personal injury while working. Even if an employee injures themself as a result of their own negligence, you could still end up footing the bill for the injured party if they decide to file a suit against you. The best thing you can do is nip that in the bud and cover yourself and employees with workers’ compensation insurance.
If you have customers frequenting your establishment, then you should also get public liability insurance. Public liability insurance covers your business in the case that a member of the public suffers a personal injury on your business premises. Unfortunately, there are people who live for the opportunity to get a settlement from an insurance scam, but the best way to prevent your business from being a victim of a scammer is to insure your biz to the teeth.
Lock your business down.
If your business operates in a part of town that’s unsafe, then you have to be on the lookout constantly for opportunistic criminals who would love to catch you dozing. While you may not be able to completely fortify your establishment, there are still measures you can take to make your business premises safer for you, your team members, and your customers.
Property insurance will help you to renovate and restore your business after a disaster has already stricken, but you need to implement preventive measures as well. If you don’t have a surveillance system or have not upgraded yours in a while, then that’s the first step you should take towards protecting your business premises. Not only are security cameras a crime deterrent, but they’re also great for accountability among your team members.
You also can keep the bad guys out of your business by installing steel doors on your building. Steel doors are much more durable than wooden and glass doors, outlasting them by ten years on average. Steel doors are also a heck of a lot harder to breach than wooden doors. In addition, the more security features your business has, then the kinder insurance underwriters will be when pricing your property insurance.
Provide safety training.
Even when you’ve covered your enterprise with every type of insurance known to man, preventing personal injuries and property damage should be at the top of your list of priorities. The more educated your employees are about best practices, then the safer they can do their jobs.
When you’re onboarding applicants, you need to make safety training a part of the applicant orientation process. Administer a test at the end of training sessions to make sure that your employees digested the information and can implement it in their work.
