Safe premises: Making your business premises safe

This guide outlines the fundamental factors in ensuring you have safe premises for your clients and staff.

In the modern era, and particularly faced with the pandemic problems, most businesses have moved most of their activities online. Very few businesses retain their brick and motor premises. Regardless of the advancements in technology, some businesses like salons, barbershops, gyms, and daycare will always remain brick and motor. Customers to these businesses must visit their premises to get the services they need. This poses a challenge to businesses in terms of customer welfare. They have to put in place measures and infrastructure to ensure safe premises for their clients.

Ensuring safe premises

Businesses in the service industry require constant physical contact with the client. It is easy for such businesses to lose clients if they do not maintain some level of client welfare. Offering the best possible safety, care, and customer experience is critical to the survival and success of the business. To effectively take care of the safety of your clients, you need to put in place a few things that will enhance both safety and customer experience in safe premises, and ensure you don’t put your business reputation at risk.

First aid kit

Accidents do happen all the time. The customer or their child may suffer a cut, or slip or fall leading to injury. It is, therefore, important to have a fully functional first aid kit on site in every safe premises. A good kit should have medical equipment like gloves, sterile dressing, bandages, antiseptic solution, antibiotic ointments, and safety pins, among other things. These will come in handy in assisting the customer to relieve pain before seeking medical attention. Having a well-equipped first aid kit and well-trained staff can boost how a customer views your company.

Fire extinguishers

Fire extinguishers and fire safety protocols ensure the safety of customers in the event of a fire. Having easily accessible and functional fire extinguishers and equipment gives both you and the customers ease of mind in preparedness for a fire incident. The emergency exits should also be clearly marked in visible reflective material. Your staff should also be well trained to manage a fire crisis should it happen.

Waiting areas

For businesses that tend to have queues like salons and barber shops, you need to provide a comfortable waiting area. Such areas should be well spaced and have entertainment resources like magazines to keep the waiting customer occupied. You should also install good seats. This will prevent the customer from feeling fatigued due to a prolonged waiting duration in uncomfortable positions. Good seats also prevent health issues like backaches and pains.

Good Ventilation

You should have good ventilation on your premises. As your clients wait to be served or as they go through different activities, they need a flow of clean air. Stuffy or musty places can be a health risk. Some people with some medical conditions may find such places unbearable. For businesses such as gyms where there is so much activity and sweating, good ventilation is a necessity.

Signage

Tools and equipment in your store that do not need an attendant to operate should be properly labeled. Most often customers prefer doing things on their own according to their needs. Clear and precise instructions on their use should be indicated right next to such equipment. To further ensure customer safety, an attendant should be ready to assist the elderly or those facing difficulty operating such equipment. This will assure the customer’s safety and limit potential accidents.

When doing some maintenance or cleaning, there should be clear signs indicating such activity. These should alert the customers about slippery floors, loose surfaces, or highly inclined ramps. With such signage, the customers are aware of potential risks. Thus, they are more careful around those parts of the premises.

Security

Surveillance cameras provide a sense of safety and security to the customers. Should anything be lost or stolen within the store, reviewing the surveillance footage will assist you in tracing and resolving the issue. Having the surveillance cameras also deters potential petty thieves from attacking you or your customers in the store.

Hygiene

Whether your business deals with children or adults, good hygiene is key to maintaining client welfare. Good hygiene ensures that you protect the health of the people visiting your premises. Hygiene is especially critical if you are dealing with small children. As a business, you need to ensure you constantly clean and disinfect your premises. Installing hand sanitizers within the premises can be part of your hygiene protocols.

Keeping your business clean and safe should be the goal of every business owner. If you need improvement in this area, start today to be better prepared.