The Health and Safety Tests Your Business Can’t Afford to Ignore

Running a business is tough. We often make the mistake of thinking that it will get easier as it starts to grow. If you started out on your own, in charge of all departments and responsible for everything that needed doing, you probably thought it would all get miraculously easier as soon as you could employ some staff to help with all of these tasks.
In some cases, this is true. It’s certainly a sign that you are doing well and making a go of things. Being able to afford to pay others to help you manage your business and realise your dreams is a bit of a milestone. But, in other ways, other people make things more complicated. More staff and success usually means higher demand and more to do. It also means more health and safety rules and more testing. Risks that you might have taken when you worked alone from the comfort of your home can no longer be taken once you employ staff or start having contact with customers and suppliers.
Failing to carry out the appropriate testing can be costly. Here are some of the tests and checks that your business can’t afford to skip.
PAT Testing
PAT testing is a system of checking the safety of all of your electronic devices, portable or built in. Many small businesses think that they can neglect these tests, but even if you’ve just got a kettle in a small office, that kettle needs to be tested. A professional from Analogue Electrics will be able to check your products and provide you with a certificate to confirm safety.
Fire Alarms and Emergency Lighting
All businesses need fire alarms, extinguishers and emergency lighting. You also need an emergency policy, so that everyone on staff knows what to do. Get these fitted professionally, and then set up a regular rota for testing.
Health and safety
If you employ staff, you need a health and safety policy. This ensures your staff are thoroughly trained and safe when they are at work. Your team should be tested on their health and safety knowledge before they start work and then retrained and tested regularly.
Risk Assessments
Risk assessments are a way of finding out what risks you are exposing yourself, your staff and your customers to. You should carry out a risk assessment on all of your equipment, as well as the tasks that your employees carry out. Separate assessments should be carried out for any employees with specific safety needs, such as pregnant women.
Your health and safety and food hygiene testing systems will largely depend on the kind of work you do. A business serving food to the public will require a much more comprehensive set of tests than a company run from an office, with no direct contact with the public. While electrical testing should always be carried out by a professional, you should be able to carry out some health and safety checks yourself. Put systems in place to make sure all of your staff are well trained; your risk assessments are always up to date, and you are ready for a spot check at any minutes.