How To Keep Your Workplace Safe and Secure

Regardless of the industry, every business should aim to provide a safe work environment for their workers and a secure environment for business operations.

To keep your workplace safe and secure, you should:

1. Conduct a workplace risk assessment
2. Provide necessary protective equipment
3. Maintain and promote good housekeeping practices
4. Limit access to your workplace 
5. Install security cameras and alarm systems

1. Conduct a Workplace Risk Assessment

First and foremost, every workplace should carry out a risk assessment to help identify and evaluate potential dangers and hazards that could cause harm or injury to employees/visitors.

In addition to making your workplace a safe environment, risk assessments are actually required by law in the UK, and employers have a legal duty to identify and control the risks associated with their workplace, whatever their industry. Failure to comply with these regulations will lead to legal action and financial penalties.

This legislation is found under the ‘Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974’, which ‘places a legal duty on employers to ensure the health, safety and welfare at work of all their employees’. This includes the requirement to conduct a risk assessment to identify possible hazards in the workplace and take appropriate measures to control and mitigate those risks.

2. Provide Necessary Protective Equipment

It is also the employers responsibility to make sure that employees have access to the appropriate personal protective equipment for their job, such as ear protection, goggles, gloves, masks etc. This legislation can be found under the 1974 Health and Safety at Work Act and the 1992 Personal Protective Equipment Regulations (updated in 2002) which states that it’s the employer’s responsibility to care for their staff’s safety.

As well as providing necessary PPE, employers must also ensure that the PPE is properly maintained, replaced when needed, and that their employees are trained on how to use the equipment properly. Employers must also ensure that employees are aware of the hazards they may face in the workplace and how to properly use the PPE to protect themselves from those hazards.

3. Maintain and Promote Good Housekeeping Practices

Another really important way to ensure the safety of your workplace is to encourage your employees to keep their work environment clean and clutter free. Not only will an organised workspace make employees work more efficiently, but it can help prevent injury from slips and falls, which are one of the most common workplace accidents. By keeping work areas free from clutter and debris, the risk of fires are also reduced. 

4. Limit Access to Your Workplace

If your workplace is fairly large in size, you might consider restricting access to the premises as a whole or to certain areas by a security key card. This ensures that only authorised individuals are allowed to access the premises/ areas that are suitable for them. 

A good example of this is restricting access to areas with sensitive information, for example computer or file rooms. The fewer people who have access to this area, the fewer people have access to the information given in that area. It is especially important to restrict access where contractors and visitors from outside the business are concerned. 

An effective policy to follow is the “minimum access necessary” policy, whereby visitors and employees are only allowed access to the areas required to perform their job role. Their keys can also be programmed to only work when they are expected to be on site (e.g. from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m). Any time outside those time periods will deny them access.

Some industries, such as finance or healthcare, actually have strict regulations that require limited access to certain areas of the workplace, and failure to follow these regulations can result in legal and financial consequences for the employee/business. 

5. Install Security Cameras and Alarm Systems

Last but certainly not least, all businesses should install security CCTV cameras inside and outside of the building premises to monitor and record any suspicious activity in the area. As well as capturing valuable evidence that can be used in law enforcement investigations, security cameras show that the business is well-protected, and in turn can act as a deterrent to potential criminals, reducing the risk of theft, burglary, vandalism, and other criminal activity.

Installing alarm systems will also help keep the premises safe and secure as they will detect any intrusion or unauthorised entry into your premises. Make sure the alarm is monitored by a security company or by staff members who can respond to intrusion immediately.

For more information about the employer’s responsibility for workplace safety, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our friendly, expert team on 01686 611 377, today.

Written by Kate, for MorSafe Supplies.