Keeping Your Business Safe For Trading: A Brief Guide For Business Owners in Scotland

Keeping your business safe is paramount, not just for customers but for anyone and everyone that uses the premises. Making sure that you are providing a safe working environment to allow your business to trade should be on the top of your list of priorities.

But with legislation, guidelines, and world events changing what this means month to month and year to year, it can be a bit confusing to keep up with – especially with every little change.

So, this brief list is to act as a starting point to helping you keep your business safe. It isn’t, however, a comprehensive list and you should always consult with professionals to ensure you are abiding by health and safety guidelines.

Commercial Fire Safety

While a fire on your business premises is rare, it can happen, and it is your responsibility to make sure that it doesn’t. It is also your responsibility to make sure you have all the right things in place to handle a fire if one should occur.

A big part of that is making sure you have commercial smoke alarms installed, up to date with current legislation, and working correctly.

Bringing in experts such as AC Gold to ensure you meet all the legal requirements where fire and smoke safety is concerned is essential. It could save lives.

Business Property Structural Safety

Part of keeping a workplace safe is making sure the property itself is safe to use, inhabit, and work within. Things such as small pipe leaks, a loose wall or roof panel, or an unmaintained floor can present issues.

Small leaks, for instance, may not seem like that big of a deal but they can be. Over time small leaks can lead to mould build up which affects air quality. It can also weaken materials like wood, MDF, chipboard and other building materials.

Similarly, an unmaintained floor can lead to slippery surfaces, trip hazards, and injured people if you aren’t careful.

Regular maintenance reviews should be organised for your property and if your workplace hasn’t had one in a while, perhaps speak to the responsible party.

Regular Cleaning

Having a regular cleaner or cleaning schedule is crucial in any workplace, but especially workplaces that deal with food and drinks. Even in an office setting, making sure the bins are looked after and taken out regularly will ensure a clean environment.

There’s nothing worse than a fly infestation. Flies carry disease and can easily make someone sick by landing on food, surfaces, or cups.

Regular cleaning also helps stop bugs from spreading, be it the seasonal flu, the seasonal cold, a stomach bug, or something far more serious such as COVID-19.

In any case, having a clean workplace will never be seen as a bad thing.

Conclusion

While there is far more to a safe workplace than everything that’s listed here, these are good starting points to begin thinking about how you can keep your workplace continually safe – for customers and employees alike.