When you own or manage a building safety, your first concern is always customer experience. You make sure that the area is both aesthetically pleasing and comfortable. While many consider this as the most important, you should not forget the building’s overall safety. These three factors should be at the top of your priority list if you want your building to be operational.
Here are among the most important factors you need to consider to ensure the safety of your building.
#1 Install Proper Lighting
One of the main reasons why people encounter accidents is they don’t have proper visual of their surroundings. This will cause them to trip, slip, and even fall in worse cases. While most of these accidents don’t cause serious injuries, they can still be a hindrance for employees to work properly. You could prevent these unfortunate events through proper lighting.
Install lights that are bright enough to light the entire area. However, make sure they are not too bright that might cause eye problems to your workers.
#2 Maintain Good Housekeeping
Good housekeeping can also help prevent accidents from happening. You should schedule office cleaning regularly to clear the floor and surroundings of certain obstacles, such as spills. This will also help keep watch if things need to be fixed. Housekeeping personnel should have a keen eye when something is defective.
Housekeeping is also important during rainy weather. The floor will likely keep getting wet and this could potentially cause accidents. It’s not also practical to keep the personnel on the entryway and keep wiping and mopping the floor. Clearing the floor should be done occasionally and a warning sign should be placed where it’s readily visible. This is to inform people to walk slowly and carefully when inside the building.
#3 Perform Regular Maintenance on Your Utilities
The utility features of a building are among the core elements that make it functional. Building personnel must inspect electrical, HVAC, and plumbing utilities to ensure they remain functional. They should also be on the lookout for damaged, torn, or frayed electrical wires; burnt out light bulbs, defective appliances, water leakage, etc.
#4 Security Checks on Entryways
A complete security check must be done on each person who enters the building, including regular employees and other workers. The entryway must also have a detector to make sure that no weapons and other dangerous tools will go in the building.
Always ask for IDs, check the insides of their bags, and perform a thorough body check. While this might take time, it’s still utterly important for the safety of the entire building and its occupants.
#5 Scheduled Inspection of All Stairways
Stairways are accident-prone areas that people usually take for granted. Always check your stairways for any loose screws, obstructions, and other damages. If your stairway is made of concrete, check for cracks and other damages that might cause people to trip or slip. If your guardrails are made of glass, make sure they are well-secured with stainless steel glass spigots to keep them in place.
If you’re thinking about upgrading the safety of your stairways, you should consider getting stainless steel casting handrails. Not only are they attractive, but they’re stronger compared to other metals that require less maintenance. This is why you commonly see these handrails in office buildings, malls, and other commercial establishments.
#6 Invest in Multi-functional CCTV Cameras
To have full visibility of your building, you should invest in CCTV cameras that are high in quality and can perform different functions. Many CCTV cameras now allow you to keep an eye your building and alert you when suspicious activities are happening. This will allow you to respond right away when the situation demands it.
#7 Install Fire Alarm Systems
Smoke detectors, sprinkler systems, fire extinguishers, and fire alarms are a must for every building, both commercial and residential. When you already have them installed in your building, also perform regular maintenance to make sure they are functioning properly.
#8 Conduct Fire and Emergency Drills for Employees
In case of emergencies, particularly those that are life-threatening, all occupants should know how to respond. This is also to prevent them from panicking. Schedule fire and emergency drills for the employees and other workers so that they’ll know what they need to do in case there’s a fire or other serious emergencies.
Also, train the building and security personnel how they could assist people so everyone can go to safety faster.