When Did You Last Check Safety?
Most (if not all) businesses are required to have insurance to cover costs if any employee is injured on the premises. Depending on the type of business, number of employees and other factors, this can end up being a substantial cost.
The aviation industry eats, sleeps and breathes safety, so one would imagine that airline offices on the ground should also be safe. I know of at least one oil major which is rigorous on safety, to the extent of requiring that its contractors maintain its standards at their own cost (usually factored back into what they charge said major) or lose the business.
Part of the issue, though, is whether employers actually make an effort to make sure premises are safe. We’re often guilty of viewing our place of business as “somewhere else” as it’s not our home. How often have we walked around our desk/office, department or building (let alone its surrounds) to see “what’s out there that could go wrong”?
Recently, I looked outside the back entrance of one of my clients’ second-floor offices. These are located in a block shared by other businesses, so there’s one adjoining my client. On the small landing and stairway (which might have to act as a fire escape) was a washing machine complete with trailing cord to a wall socket along with what looked like a discarded fish tank.
Suffice it to say, if people had needed to evacuate in poor visibility, there could have been some nasty accidents and (worse) even fatalities.
Some countries have very high standards, others not so. The question is, what are we prepared to tolerate where human lives are at stake? Using “Oh, well it’s not compulsory by law” as an argument in the event of a major calamity at a place of work. Equally, we may find that insurers won’t pay out because we lacked, say, smoke detectors.
All this could not only stop our business, but even cause it to go under because of the loss of reputation incurred or the financial burden of defending ourselves against legal action.
A look at our premises as though they were our own home could save more in legal or regulatory penalties than it incurs in insurance and training costs.
Often, we need occupancy permits for business premises which will include fire and health inspections. However, these will often only look at the “bare minimum” required. We can make it better and reassure our people that we’re looking out for them.
I have spent more than half my life delivering change in different world markets from the most developed to “emerging” economies. With more than 20 years in international financial services around the world running different operations and lending businesses, I started my own Consultancy to provide solutions for improving performance, productivity and risk management. I work with individuals, small businesses, charities, quoted companies and academic institutions across the world. An international speaker, trainer, author and fund-raiser, I can be contacted by email. My websiteprovides a full picture of my portfolio of services. For strategic questions that you should be asking yourself, follow me at @wkm610.
Labels: Crisis Management, Customer Care, Regulation, Risk, Strategy
posted by William Martin @ 14:29
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