How To Ensure Safety in Your Business Parking Lot
Are you a business owner searching for ways to make your space safer? Keep reading to understand how to ensure safety in your business parking lot.
The parking lot is an appreciated convenience for many employees and customers. But it can become a hazardous space if you don’t maintain it correctly. Read on to discover how to ensure safety in your business parking lot.
Keep Walking Surfaces Free of Tripping Hazards
Tripping over parking curbs is a cause of injury for customers and employees. So ensure paths, walkways, and other walking surfaces remain clear of rocks, poles, holes, and debris that could result in a slip or fall.
Sidewalks and curbs should be even. Mark any level changes with yellow safety paint.
Maintain Proper Drainage
Standing ice or water can lead to trips, slips, or falls. Ensure the water is draining away from the pedestrian areas, and clean out the storm drains appropriately. You should also make sure that you have no standing water in the walkways or parking lot. The drain grates shouldn’t be directly in the parking surface area. Instead, they should be in inconspicuous locations, such as the parking lot’s edges or spots where cars don’t park.
Maintain Premise Security
Have adequate exterior lighting for nighttime use. Make sure you illuminate your parking lot enough that all vehicles can park in bright areas. Secure all access to the parking lot by installing security cameras to record day and night. Customers and workers will feel safer this way.
Have Clear Signage
Your parking lot should have marked exits, entrances, parking spots, and crosswalks. Your landscaping shouldn’t cover any signage, nor should the signs and foliage block driver visibility. You should ensure you have the drop-off and pickup locations correctly marked if a shuttle bus comes to your lot.
Your parking lot also needs to have the essential signage in the proper places. Examples of necessary signs include marked accessible parking spaces, fire lane signs, and pedestrian crossing signs.
Have a Regular Maintenance Program
Regular maintenance of your parking lot can help identify any problems or potential issues like depressions, cracks, and potholes before they turn dangerous. A preventative maintenance schedule will ensure lightbulbs stay lit, the lot remains clean, and customers and employees remain safe.
Budget for routine repaving, line painting, and other necessary repairs to keep your parking lot in good working order.
Tell your employees to notify you immediately if they notice conditions that make them feel unsafe. It’s your job to fix the issue quickly to keep your business running smoothly and ensure employee and customer safety.
And that’s how to ensure safety in your business parking lot. Use this knowledge to your advantage.
It's Time To Bring People Back To The Office
Are you eager to bring people back into the office to work in your business? This might be easier said than done as a lot of people have grown accustomed to working from home. Here are some of the key steps that you can take.
Be Flexible
First, you need to make sure that you are providing a high level of flexibility to your business team. This is one of the greatest benefits that people can take advantage of by freelancing or by working in a different company from your own. To improve levels of flexibility, you should think about looking at the work hours that you are providing to your team members. You might also want to think about making the office space itself more flexible. You can do this by adding key features such as sit-stand desks.
Put Safety Measures In Place
It’s important to put the right safety features in place if you want people to return to the office. One of the big benefits of working from home is that people don’t need to be around others in a shared space. This is important, particularly when you consider that a large number of individuals are still worried and nervous about COVID-19. There are various steps you can take to provide a safer space for your team. For instance, you can think about using sneeze guards for desk environments. These can be used in any area where people are sharing a workspace whether that’s a school or a typical company office.
Make It More Comfortable
Next, you should explore how to guarantee that people in your office are going to be more comfortable overall. If you look at the latest reports, you’ll see that the most common injury in American offices today is RSI or repetitive strain injury. This is caused by people working for long hours in the same position, often with the wrong posture. You can avoid problems here by investing in ergonomic furniture whether that’s office chairs or keyboards or other smaller pieces of equipment.
Listen To Their Feedback
Finally, it’s highly likely that your team members have their own ideas of things that they want to see or need to return to the typical office space. As such, you just need to listen to the feedback they provide. If you’re wondering how to get responses like this, then you may want to think about embracing an open-door policy. Alternatively, you could think about sending out a quick questionnaire to get the right feedback from your team overall. By showing your team that you are listening, you can guarantee that they feel like a more significant part of your business model, rather than simply another cog in the machine.
We hope this helps you understand some of the key steps that you can take to bring your team members back to the office. By exploring these possibilities, you can ensure that a space that may be costing you a fortune and adding to your business budget isn’t going to waste.
Tackle These 4 Causes Of Slip & Fall Injuries In The Workplace
In today's fast-paced, ever-evolving work environment, the significance of workplace safety cannot be overstated. It's the key to preserving the health and well-being of employees, fostering a positive work culture, and boosting productivity. But even with the best safety measures, accidents can still happen. A personal injury attorney, like one of the SJ injury attorneys, can be a critical ally if you find yourself the victim of a workplace incident. From dealing with worker's compensation claims to holding negligent parties accountable, a personal injury attorney can help you navigate legal issues. Hiring an experienced personal injury attorney, which you can learn more about here, ensures your rights are protected and you receive the compensation you deserve. Ignoring workplace safety isn't just a risk; it's a gamble with lives and livelihoods. It's time we prioritize safety first, and with the backing of a personal injury attorney, you're never alone in that endeavor.
A slip & fall injury is one of the worst things to happen in your business. Whether it happens to an employee or a customer, you’re liable for the damages to them. This opens your business up for a lawsuit, mainly if you have made no steps to prevent this accident from happening. To improve workplace safety for everyone, you must tackle the main causes of these injuries. Multiple things can lead to a slip-and-fall incident, but these are the biggest culprits:
Wet floors
If the floor in your workplace is wet from spillage, it poses a huge risk to everyone. Consequently, it would be best if you took action right away. Put signs near wet areas while you go and get the equipment to clean them. Ensure any spillages are mopped and dried instantly, stopping people from slipping and falling on them. Opting for a flooring choice that absorbs water is also a possibility. For instance, a carpet in your office can prevent wet floor slips. Keep in mind that wet floors in the workplace can lead to workplace injuries. Employees may lose their balance, fall, and injure themselves, sometimes severely. These injuries can range from minor bruises to more serious issues like fractures or head injuries, depending on the circumstances and the severity of the fall. The latter could be the cause for potential lawsuits filed by employees with the help of lawyers at https://www.warforcincy.com/. Those injured may demand compensation for medical bills and loss of wages. To avoid this from happening, employers should take necessary steps to keep the floors dry and walkable.
Dirty floors
Likewise, dirty floors that are covered in debris can cause accidents. People might bring stuff in from outside - like loose leaves, stones, twigs, and who knows what else. Plus, you have debris that can be generated from around the workplace. It's straightforward for someone to step on a dirty floor and slip on something. There’s an easy way to stop this, and it’s by cleaning your floors regularly. Invest in commercial floor cleaning machines to sweep up all dust and debris, leaving the floor spotless. Right away, there are fewer ways for people to trip and fall over, lowering the accident risk in your workplace.
Stairs
Yes, stairs alone can be a cause of slip & fall injuries. People can slip on stairs if they’re not careful, so precautions should be implemented. Of course, no stairway should be complete without railings for people to hold onto. Alongside this, you should apply anti-slip guards to each step. This strip of material provides extra grip and can stop people’s shoes from slipping on the edge of the step.
Loose wires
Office settings are particularly guilty of having loads of loose wires hanging everywhere. People can catch their feet on these wires, falling over and hurting themselves. So, focus on good cable management to keep your wires away from the workplace and hidden below or behind desks. Also, consider using wireless devices where possible, reducing the number of cables in your workplace.
You can never 100% reduce slip & fall incidents in your business. However, you can undoubtedly put protective measures in place to mitigate the chances of these incidents. The four things listed above are the most common causes of workplace accidents. If you work to stop them from causing slip & fall injuries, your business becomes much safer. It’s safer for your employees, customers, and anyone else who ventures inside. Plus, you’ve taken action to reduce the risks, which will play in your favor if someone gets hurt at work.
9 Tips For Improving Energy Efficiency At Your Workplace
Some businesses or industries are more energy-intensive than others. Despite this, energy needs to be consumed reasonably. This helps the company manage costs and lessen its harmful impact on the environment. A study proposed that several small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have reduced their energy consumption by upgrading equipment. So, how can you make your business more energy-efficient? Here are some tips for improving your workplace energy efficiency.
Leverage natural lighting
By leveraging natural lighting, you can make your workplace more energy-efficient. Encouraging employees to draw up blinds and window coverings during the day helps your business save on energy costs you would have incurred at the time. Studies have shown that you can save up to 75% of your energy consumption by allowing more natural light in your buildings and reducing cooling expenses. Not only does this help your business save energy, but it also positively impacts your employees. The warm rays from the sun provide them with energy and exposure to healthy amounts of sun rays. It also prevents issues associated with working in a poorly lit room, such as moodiness or deteriorating eyesight.
Switch to energy-efficient lighting.
Do you want some additional ideas about energy savings? Switching to energy-efficient lighting like LED bulbs can save you up to 80% on lighting. However, more than a simple switch would be required to enjoy the benefits of being energy-efficient. Suppose you switch to energy-efficient lighting, but lights are left on, even in rooms with no one. In that case, you would be driving your energy costs up, which defeats the purpose. Therefore, it is also essential to implement measures to ensure these lighting solutions are beneficial. Could you consider installing some occupancy sensor monitors to automate your lighting controls? Focused lighting can help your energy-saving efforts by focusing on only a specific area rather than your entire room.
Please take a look at your HVAC system.
Gaps and holes in your doors, windows, and walls can cause either heated or cool air to escape from the room. This can cause your HVAC system to work extra to keep the room at desired temperatures. Unfortunately, the extra work means higher energy consumption. Therefore, it is practical to assess various "air exit" points and fill them up. You can also introduce other strategies, such as automatic doors to reduce the heat escapes if you have many footfalls in and out of the office. You should also review your HVAC systems to ensure they are in good condition. If you’re based in the North Carolina region, here are some North Carolina commercial HVAC companies that can help you.
Could you perform an energy audit?
You can perform an informal audit or hire a professional electrician to perform an energy audit of your workplace. Although doing this yourself may help your business save money, an expert energy auditor can identify any leaks in your workplace and make appropriate recommendations to save considerably more. Consider using services like those offered by totallyampedelectrical.co.nz for professional energy audits. It can also help to keep track of your energy bills to create an energy-efficient workplace policy. Check your energy progress every month and implement more energy-efficient strategies in energy-consuming areas. As an employer, you have to take responsibility to improve your workplace energy efficiency. However, don't forget to involve your employees as they play a crucial role in creating a workplace sustainability culture.
When optimizing energy efficiency in your workplace, partnering with a reliable and skilled electrician can make a significant difference. Finding an experienced Electrician, Glen Iris (or a similar electrician near you), can help you identify and implement energy-efficient solutions tailored to your needs. Suppose your air conditioning units are old and power-hungry, for example. In that case, an energy audit conducted by a local electrician will help uncover the worst offenders, allowing you to repair or replace them and make energy-efficiency improvements.
Encourage flexible schedules
Flexible working schedules like scheduled days for remote working or a shift system can significantly reduce the office's energy costs. Many businesses chose these flexible working schedules from the onset of the Coronavirus pandemic and saw great results. Due to this, among many other reasons, research has shown that these options are here to stay. Implementing a flexible work schedule means you spend less on catering to the needs of your employees at the workplace. Your business will save more on electricity, heating and cooling, and other expenses. Likewise, your staff saves time and money, making them more efficient and productive. It's the perfect win-win situation.
Invest in energy-efficient solutions
The running cost for your old printers and fridge can be a significant drain on your energy bills every month. It is helpful to invest in appliances and equipment with high energy ratings while matching your business needs. This way, you wouldn't have to pay any extra to keep them running. For example, you wouldn't need to purchase too big fridges for your workplace when one should be enough for your small business. You may also want to consider upgrading your commercial garage doors enhanced with strength and energy-saving abilities through UV protection and better insulation.
Go green
Whether running a fast-food restaurant or a multinational business, you need to make your business eco-friendly. 'Go Green' can perhaps be the buzzword today, yet it can be helpful to take appropriate steps to embrace the culture. In addition to the several benefits like creating a sustainable environment, reducing and improving overall workplace efficiency, adopting a green culture means syncing with the environment and ensuring reasonable and optimal use of your scarce resources. Additionally, your business can enjoy some tax and legal benefits, including credits, rebates, and other incentives from the government for its green efforts.
Turn off electronic appliances when not in use
It is vital to switch off all electrical appliances when they aren’t being used. This saves you energy costs and can help prevent mechanical devices from failing and causing major fires when nobody is in the workplace. Additionally, consider unplugging any devices after turning them off as it could draw some energy. The US Department of Energy has indicated that, on average, 75% of the electricity used in home appliances is consumed when electronics are not in use. However, the workplace isn't any exception.
Install solar panels
Installing a solar panel together with a hot water system can be one of the best energy-efficient investments your business can make. The cost of installing a solar panel can be expensive in the short term. However, it is more cost-efficient to generate your power. If your business is located in a sunny area, you can consider reselling unused energy to local businesses and, if possible, to the grid for credit on your electricity bill.
Although these tips should help you save energy in the workplace, it would be best to involve everybody in building an energy-efficient culture, especially when it isn't a top priority. Employer engagement is crucial for achieving this in the workplace.
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Managing a Remote Team: What You Need to Do
The coronavirus and COVID-19 pandemic have significantly changed how most of us work. As the virus has spread worldwide, most governments have encouraged their citizens to stay home wherever possible, minimizing contact with others. For those who can work from home, this has meant a shift to remote work. Even though vaccines are being rolled out and many elements of life are returning to normal, many small business owners have found that remote work better suits them and their employees. From the employees’ perspective, working from home reduces commute time and costs and improves work-life balance.
From an employer’s perspective, having a remote workforce means saving money on office spaces and related overheads. So, it’s unsurprising that many small business owners want to stick with this remote working basis. Of course, you need to ensure you can still manage your team well while doing this. Here are some steps you can take to achieve this.
Continue Team Building
When staff work from home, losing touch with their colleagues and the broader company can be easy. You must ensure your staff maintains these communications and bonds, leading to increased collaboration and higher productivity levels. But how can you encourage team building within a remote workforce? Start by holding daily or weekly meetings between the team, where everyone can catch up and check in on each other. You may also want to maintain a day once a month or so where the team meets up in person, working from a hired venue, or meeting for social activities, like visiting a steakhouse for a meal.
Focus on Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity is a significant weakness for many companies with remote employees. Why? Because staff may need to be made aware of the threats they face when working from their internet connection off-site. Utilizing service providers like FRSecure and training your staff in cybersecurity minimizes risk and maximizes data security within your business. You can take several steps if you're trying to achieve this by yourself. There are several steps you can take to accomplish this. Still, some common ones include using a VPN (or “virtual private network”), encouraging staff to work from devices you provide, and offering training in cybersecurity.
Set KPIs
You don’t want to micromanage your staff while they work from home, but you also want to ensure they perform as expected. So, set KPIs. KPI stands for “key performance indicator” and will serve as a goal that your team members need to reach to show that they are working productively and efficiently. This will offer guidance and give you a means of checking in on staff performance.
Make Use Of Software
If you're running a business and have employees who work remotely, then you know it can be challenging to keep everything organized. There are a lot of different software options out there that can help you manage your remote team. With many different software options out there, it can be challenging to decide which is the best software for working remotely. It would be best if you considered what your needs are. What kind of tasks do your employees need to complete? What communication tools do you require? What tracking tools or reporting features would be helpful?
These are just a few suggestions that should help to get the ball rolling on managing a remote workforce. Hopefully, some will come in useful and you will experience success in your venture!