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Health and safety laws are ones that all businesses must abide by, regardless of their size or the design of their offices. They are put in place to ensure that employees can work in a safe and comfortable environment. After all; the last thing you want is for your workers to sue you for compensation, due to injuries they sustained at work!

The trouble is; some company bosses seldom know about the things they need to do to ensure a safe working environment. If you are one of those people, it’s time you got your health and safety knowledge up to speed! The following is a lowdown on what you need to know:

Safety Officers

Some people also call them safety managers. They are people tasked with helping others deal with emergency situations. For instance, this might include giving employees CPR or being a fire marshall.

It’s important that you have people designated to be safety officers in your building. You should also include provision for “spares” in case the designated individuals are off sick or on vacation.

Those people should have the relevant health and safety training needed for their roles. Each year, you must ensure they go on a refresher course. This is so they’re kept up-to-date with the latest health and safety regulations.

Ensure Fire Safety Systems Are Working

Each week, you must do a fire alarm test so that you know the system is working in case it needs to get used in an emergency. You must note the date and time of the test, as well as the name of the person that carried it out.

The sprinkler systems should also be checked on a periodic basis. Thanks to technology, monitoring systems can give you a helping hand with that task. Go to Ecscorrosion.com to find out more about what types of monitoring equipment your building can have.

Do a Regular Risk Assessment

As you will have doubtless gathered, the key is lessening the risk for any health and safety issues occurring. One thing that all companies should do is carry out regular risk assessments.

That involves walking around the working environment, checking for things like the following:

• Faulty machinery and equipment;
• Loose carpet and flooring;
• Unsafe electrical wiring and sockets;
• Water and fluid leaks from the building’s infrastructure;
• Broken office furniture; and
• Untidy workstations.

You might think that the last point is of little importance in a modern working environment. But, the truth is you should make it a top priority in your workplace! Things like stacks of paper, boxes and loose material can cause trip hazards if they’re scattered on the floor.

And if they’re covering a desk, there is a chance they could fall off it, again causing a trip or slip hazard. Risk assessments are paramount to the health and safety of your workers. While they are at your premises, you are responsible for them.

Now that you know what to do, as a responsible employer you can make sure your offices and buildings are safe places to be in!