Working Wednesday: Workplace Safety

Small Businesses may leave themselves vulnerable by not taking this subject seriously. We have violence in our culture virtually all over as witnessed by the attack in a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado. At one time violence was contained (or at least so we thought) to people who lived and fought full-time, community areas with a certain code of conduct, and to those who thought violence was a means to power.

Now violence is crushing our way of life. Children are being taught at a young age to be belligerent and aggressive (see my blog: Women in Need, Women Can Cure. http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8117903041843459966#editor/target=post;postID=4949962648275693474 )
Politeness and consideration is not part of everyday living. Egotism is the priority now, not helping your neighbor. This is translated to: "What is mine is mine and what is yours is mine too".

The once assumed borders of ownership, whether they be of cash, items, property, or through electronic means are getting fuzzy and erasable. Business owners need to protect themselves, employees, and property. Property here defined is building inside and out, equipment, and supplies.

Most companies have insurance policies. They protect against Mother Nature, theft, and liability.
If you don't have an insurance policy get one. If you are so small that you are not incorporated yet, consider this too. Becoming a LLC will help with some of these issues.

But the real reason this blog is written today is about safety, everyday safety.
1. Do you have an escape route plan if someone enters your office with thoughts to harm others? Who will call the emergency in to the authorities? Who has a list of all the employees and makes sure there is a head count once everyone is safely out of the building? (This is also good for fire drills).

2. Who has been given crisis management training? What if a person gets inside the building? What if a person is inside, it is a "regular day", then gets angry and agitated? What if it is not a visitor but an employee who is out of control? What are your plans for those trained to reach and diffuse the situation?

3. Each employee needs to know enough to arrange their offices so they will be closer to their door than visitors. Give them other suggestions(bring in a consultant) to help an angry visitor(s) before escalation happens and the crisis management team has to be called for assistance.

4. How secure is your building? Lighting, landscaping, signage, locks on doors, etc. all need to be reviewed to give you maximum advantage. Hallways, inside doors, key fobs, etc. should also be evaluated to assist in overall security measures.

5. Can you have flexible hours to give employees the best times to enter/leave for the day? Have supervisors bring their groups together and ask employees what are their uppermost concerns. Then be prepared ahead of time to address them, even if cost is involved. It is better in the long run to fix things in the short run when safety is concerned.

You cannot assume you live in a safe town/community/county anymore. Tragedy strikes in rural and cities just the same. Combining with other businesses may help reduce certain costs and definitely show the community that you are serious. Most importantly, your employees will know you respect them enough to want to keep them safe from harm.