When conducting their strategic planning, facilities managers are tasked with identifying and implementing environmental, social, and financial sustainability measures. All too often, environmental and economic areas are the focus of these efforts while any social impacts are a by-product of these. In conserving resources, the sustainability movement has seen a shift in attention to the workforce. This people-centred approach sees a drive towards nurturing and conserving any facility’s greatest business asset – its human capital.
We are all aware of our health and safety statutory requirements. Compliance with these is often only the first step in thinking sustainably about occupant safety in the workplace. Despite compliance with these provisions, incidents occasionally happen because potential risks are overlooked and safety initiatives and policies are not entrenched within an organisation and are often reactive in nature.
There are a number of ways facilities managers can effectively implement a comprehensive safety programme within their organisation to create safety practices that are sustainable beyond the minimum requirements. Firstly, physical safety improvements must be conducted within the facility. Secondly, regular and continuous training will aid in keeping workers safe and building operations running smoothly. Not only will this serve to meet legal and ethical imperatives, it also stands to streamline operations and remove loss of productivity and resources through on-site incidents.
When developing your security programme, take a comprehensive look at your organisation identifying key players, threats, and responses. Your stakeholders will include employees, contractors, and visitors to your organisation and all three should be considered in relation to the threats and responses which will all be individual to your type of organisation. From security to health and safety, give due consideration to the measures and training that could prevent these from the outset. An inspection of your facility and interaction with stakeholders are often great starting points in determining risks and how to effectively deal with them.
When it comes to security, identify the means by which you aim to deter, detect, and delay in the case of an incident and communicate this to the different stakeholders clearly in the form of policy. Engage with police and security firms to better understand the risks and how to go about taking steps to best deal with every possible situation.
When it comes to workplace safety and security, Voltix offers a number of services which offer sustainable solutions and best practices for your business. From routine preventative machinery and building maintenance to all of your statutory compliance requirements and security measures, we are the one company you should contact in connection with the day-to-day well-being of the valuable people in your workplace. Contact us today to find out more about our various services and how we can assist your facility.