6 Ways to Prevent Customer Injury in Your Business Premises
There is a legal and moral duty to ensure your business setting is safe, whether it’s a restaurant or retail premises. If you own a business, basic health and safety advice set out by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) should be followed.
Even small, seemingly low-risk businesses can experience accidents or injuries in the workplace, so following this advice will help to keep both employees and customers safe. Unexpected accidents can be life-changing, as one legal case study shows. This case resulted in a member of the public slipping on a wooden staircase in a local restaurant and sustaining severe hand injuries.
“This case shows how a person’s life can change within an instant, following a nasty accident that could have been avoided. It is so important for all businesses that have the public visiting their premises to regularly undertake assessments to identify any potential hazards.”
6 ways to prevent customer injury in your business premises:
- Keep premises as clean and tidy as possible
Routinely cleaning and tidying the premises will help you maintain good hygiene standards and help to remove hazards at the same time. For example, the floor may have a spillage that could lead to someone slipping. The quicker you deal with these issues, the less risky the setting becomes.
- Choose non-slippery flooring materials
Coupled with the wrong shoes, slippy flooring can be a serious hazard for customers and staff. The situation can be worsened if someone is carrying sharp or heavy items, so it’s a serious factor to bear in mind.
- Have regular assessments done to identify hazards
Owning a business means staying within regulations. You must stay on top of these, otherwise, you could be hearing from personal injury claims solicitors if an accident takes place on your premises.
- Have only the necessary items around
A clutter-free zone is a much safer zone, with fewer chances of trips occurring. You’d be surprised by how many accidents can be caused in public spaces because a box has been left out or stock hasn’t been cleared out of the way.
- Keep track of how many people are entering the premises
Having an awareness of how many people are on the premises means you can keep tabs on whether the legal limit has been breached, in which case, you’ll need to take action.
- Provide proper ventilation
Having sufficient ventilation means that any chemicals or toxins can be released from the room easily. If the products you sell contain chemicals or scents, this is especially important so that you can react to an incident quickly if required.
- Have a first aid kit on the premises
Having a first aid kit onsite means you can deal with any unexpected injuries quickly. The NHS recommends that a first aid kit should contain items such as plasters, sterile dressings and scissors amongst other things.
