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Health and safety is something every employer needs to think carefully about because failing to meet regulations could land them in hot water. If an accident occurs onsite that could have been prevented, the employee will have grounds to make a legal claim.

Fortunately, you can avoid this by ensuring there are no health and safety hazards at the workplace. That includes the exterior of the building, where these three changes could make a big difference.

Adequate Lighting

While the sun might shine throughout the workday during summer, that’s not the case in the winter months. Many days get dark before the standard 9-5 shift is over, with some mornings also following suit.

This can potentially make things dangerous when entering and leaving the premises, which is why adequate lighting is essential for the outside of the building. The property doesn’t need to be a shining beacon in the darkness, as this will likely attract unwanted attention and cause an energy drain. However, there should be enough light for employees or eternal workers to safely navigate the premises when the sun is down.

Roof Guard Rails

Maintenance work and safety checks are important to ensure that your building is still up to code. These are carried out by external parties who require access to various parts of the property and also need protections when working.

Should they have to go on the roof, you’ll want to make sure the risk of them falling is minimal. Installing roof guardrails around the perimeter can help with this, as they provide a secure barrier around the building. Safe@Heights is known for offering guardrails that meet health and safety regulations and are installed by their team of trade qualified carpenters. They understand everything it takes to be compliant with the rules, so their intervention can ensure that you’re not liable should an accident occur.

Smooth Paving

It’s likely that the exterior of your workplace already has a paved walkway for employees to use. If it doesn’t, you’ll want to change that immediately, as natural ground could put people more at risk should the weather turn bad.

However, it’s not enough just to have the outside paved. The surface should also be smooth, free of potholes or anything else that might cause someone to trip and injure themselves. It’s natural for these surfaces to become damaged or lose their grip over time, so if yours hasn’t been updated for a long time, it’s worth giving it a makeover. Given that around half of all trips result from environmental factors, such as poorly-maintained walkways, it certainly pays to make this change. That way, unless people are clumsy enough to trip over their own feet, they shouldn’t have any accidents while walking to or from the property.

Safety is paramount in the workplace, especially when you have a lot of employees coming and going day after day. The more people you’re responsible for, the greater the risk of something bad happening. Thankfully, if you have all the necessary security measures in place, no-one can blame you if an accident does occur.