Being a business owner there are a lot of things to remember to do outside of the work in which the company does which can easily be forgotten. However, there are various very important safety checks which should be conducted within your working environment regularly to ensure that your members of staff are safe at all times.
This article will outline three very important parts of your business environment which need checking regularly. Although some of these are not legal requirements, there are some things that need to be checked regularly to comply with the law. Failure to do so can result in hefty fines and sometimes imprisonment.
Table of Contents
Regular Fire Alarm Servicing:
In any working environment it is a legal requirement to have a fully working fire alarm system in place. Not only do these need to be in place and working, they also require regular servicing to ensure that they comply with the regulatory reform (fire safety) order.
If you do not get your fire alarm serviced regularly and breach the fire safety order there can be heavy consequences. Firstly, as an employer you can be fined up to £2,000 and in some cases face up to 2 years in prison. In the event of a fire, if you are unable to provide proof of regular servicing, your insurance can be invalid meaning that any damage caused will have to be paid for by the business.
Having a faulty fire alarm system which is not serviced regularly, can have life threatening consequences. In the event of a fire if a faulty fire alarm system does not alert the people in the environment and do not make it out of the building in time this can cause long term, life changing respiratory problems and even death.
Fire alarm systems need servicing every 6 months to ensure that they are working as they should be and free of any dust which may affect the system’s ability to work as it should. Alongside these checks, they should be tested weekly to make sure that they are still working as they should be.
Regular PAT Testing:
Having all plugs regularly PAT tested is another very important safety check which needs to be done regularly. It is recommended that all electrical items are tested annually to make sure that there are not any faulty electrical items. 89% of fires are often caused by faulty electrical items, which means it is very important to have these checked.
Even though it is not a legal requirement to have your electrical items PAT tested, all workplaces are required to ensure that their electrical equipment is in a safe condition for their employees to use.
PAT testing should be conducted by a qualified PAT tester with high quality PAT testing equipment to make sure that it is done correctly. However, although it is not advised, you can order the equipment and do this yourself.
Health and Safety Signage
There are various types of health and safety related signs which should be visible to employees within the workplace at all times.
These signs can include fire safety such as fire extinguishers, fire exits and the procedure which your company has in place in case of the event of a fire. As well as fire safety signs there are other signs which should be visual such as the overall site safety sign and signs which indicate where important equipment is kept, such as the first aid kit.
All of these signs should be in the correct places, kept up to date with the current health and safety policies within the company. Although it is not a legal requirement to have a professional come in and check all health and safety signage for the company as an employer you ensure that these are correct at all times.
To Conclude:
To conclude it is very important to have the appropriate checks conducted throughout your work environment to ensure that the safety of your employees is not at risk.
For any equipment related to fire safety it is a legal requirement to have a trained professional to come and check that everything is well maintained and working as it should. If there are not written records that these are being regularly maintained this can lead to fines and in some cases imprisonment.
Overall the safety of your employees is one of the most important part of running a business, even though some of these checks are easy to be forgot, it might be worth adding dates into your calendar to remind you when such checks may be due.
