In this article we review the points that any employer needs to consider to ensure that their workplace is safe and secure. We live in a litigious world and any company that fails to protect their employees and clients interests is likely to find themselves fighting a lawsuit that could have been prevented by thinking ahead.
For any company – be it in the private or public sector, a small, medium or large enterprise, it is absolutely vital to assess and manage ‘risk’. The safety and security needs of staff, clients and property should always be paramount – safety first. The value often cited as the most important asset to a company is ‘trust’.
It is ‘trust’ that the reputation of a company stands or falls:
- Can this company be trusted to deliver on its promises?
- To maintain confidentiality?
- To protect information, its assets, its people?
Comprehensive and effective security measures need to be in place to reduce the risk of anything untoward happening to company assets, staff or customers.
The following is a quick guide that will help you ascertain if your organizations’ security measures are adequate.
It may be worth your while asking yourself the following questions:
- What security systems and measures do we currently have in place to protect our assets – both people and property?
- What procedures do we have in place in the event of a systems or security breach?
- Have we fully assessed levels of risk and established contingency plans in the event of such risk occurring?
Take a look at the layout and location of your workplace or property.
- Is it a safe place to work?
- Are there any potential hazards such as poor lighting, loose wires, uneven surfaces etc?
200 people lose their lives at work in the UK each year, therefore safety and security must first begin – if not at home – then certainly with your staff at the workplace.
- Are they trained in carrying out the work they are expected to do?
- Are their skills certificated and refreshed? In short, are your staff capable of doing their job safely?
Following on from this, in addition to your workplace being safe…
- Is it also a secure place to work?
- Are IT systems protected?
- Do you have adequate security systems installed – alarms, CCTV, panic buttons and so on?
- Do you need security screens to protect your staff who work with customers in situations that may become overheated or emotionally charged?
The type of work that you undertake will determine the level and extent of security systems and measures that need to be in place. A bit of thought and planning goes a long way toward minimizing any potential risk, accident or damage. Even violence.
In this fast changing world, currency is everything. Not only in a fiscal sense, but in this instance, with regard to ensuring that everything within your working practice is up to date: training, legislation, resources, equipment. The key is to stay ahead of the game, have plans in place to demonstrate how you would respond if your systems or security were to be breached. Only that way can you ensure that the reputation of your company is watertight .
Steve Hulmes is a professional blogger who writes on a number of issues impacting on businesses for specialist security company Sec Tech.
