You’ll find us and many other blogs on the net telling you how important workplace safety is. Because it obviously is. It’s more cost effective than having to deal with worker’s compensation. It’s essential to value your employees as people and not just workhorses. Plus, it’s just the right thing to do. But don’t confine your focus on workplace safety to the office alone. A lot of your staff will drive. That’s something you have to think about, both as part of their commute and how they park when coming to work.
The car park
As the car park itself is on your property, it’s where you’re most liable to be at fault if something goes wrong there. This also means that you have the most potential to make changes that keep your employees safe. For instance, you can make additions that make their driving in the park a lot safer. Speed bumps can make sure that any drivers entering aren’t doing it at a dangerous speed. Bollards can be placed around parking spaces to keep people inside the lines, as well as reducing the force of any accident in the car park. Lighting and highlighting available spaces are just as important for maintaining proper visibility, too.
The weather
While it might not be part of your property, you should think more about the commute and the conditions of the road as part of that commute. You will undoubtedly have at least one experience of an employee asking to take the day off before the roads are icy and dangerous. It’s worth taking the time to consider that risk seriously as opposed to just assuming they want a free day to themselves. Make sure you’re giving people additional time to complete any journeys made more difficult by bad road conditions. Don’t try to force anyone to complete a journey that is truly dangerous. It’s easy enough to look up weather warnings and see if there is real and present danger in someone’s commute.
Safer driving
You have the resources to teach your employees about proper health and safety. You should be teaching them about safer driving, as well. In particular, you should be teaching them about how to park more safely when they arrive at work. For instance, make sure everyone gets used to reversing into their parking spaces. It is, after all, safer to reverse into a space you can see as opposed to reversing out into a space where other cars might be coming at any moment. You should teach them about security when they’re making their way out to the car park. If they are leaving work when it’s dark, they should leave with someone escorting them to reduce their risk of being a target of crime.
Most employers need to put a bit more effort into making sure that their commuting employees are safe. They can do that by using the right equipment to reduce the chances of accidents and damage. Or by communicating and understanding the risks. Make sure you’re doing both.
