Small business safety checklist: What you need to know

13 3 minutes read

For small businesses in the UK, workplace safety essentials are both a way to comply with the lawmakers view of a safe workplace, but also to actively reduce harm, risks and the costs of those.

One way to go about this is to create a safety equipment checklist for offices, shops, or whatever environment the business operates from. An effective strategy will result in fewer accidents, a happier workforce and a more resilient operation. Without it, you’re looking at fines, sick pay, and maybe even lawsuits.

Table of Contents

Advanced safety signage

Installing safety signage is your first step to adhering to the Safety Signs and Signals Regulations of 1996. The signs must be clear and effective, but being compliant with the font and placement isn’t the end goal – we can improve their effectiveness beyond the rules. In emergencies like power failures or smoke-filled environments, standard signs can become obscured quite easily and it’s surprising how little attention the rulebook pays to some of these situations.

To counter this, then, is with advanced photoluminescent signs that offer a fail-safe solution – they’ve been shown to improve evacuation times by 30%. Since the 1996 regulations came into effect, the UK has generally seen a decreasing amount of fatal injuries, and that’s testament to the emphasis on signage. For a small amount of money, you can improve your emergency preparedness by equipping yourself with signs like the “No Exit”, for example.

Internal tests at various UK businesses showed that over 40% of fire exit signs did not comply with the ISO 7010 standard. Abercorn Construction Limited was fined almost £80K after an HSE inspection of their Liverpool site. Along with its dangerous electrical system, it lacked signage for emergency routes. These fines are more common than many businesses realise, and it’s yet another reason to make sure signage is a core part of your checklist.

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Mastering hazard identification and risk assessment

A proactive approach to having a hazard identification checklist, along with strict oversight, is going to be the infrastructure of your safe workplace. UK law requires a risk assessment that’s deemed “suitable and sufficient”, and that’s a process that demands a deeper analysis than just a simple checklist.

For businesses with five or more employees, this assessment and the resulting health and safety policy must be formally documented – meaning microbusinesses are let off the hook a little.

The core principle is the hierarchy of control. First, attempt to eliminate the hazard entirely. If this is not feasible, substitute it with a safer alternative. Also implement engineering controls or use administrative controls to limit exposure. Personal protective equipment should always be the final line of defence, too, rather than first line.

The office safety equipment checklist

Like when designing safe roads, there are many considerations inside the workplace regarding risks – even in seemingly low-risk office environments. Below is a rough checklist to keep in mind, though an organisation for health and safety professionals can help give more bespoke ideas too.

Fire Safety: Standard extinguishers are a given, but they must be the right ones to match the specific risk classification. Fire safety checklists also include a solid fire risk assessment, clearly marked escape routes, as well as appointing and training fire marshals. Regular fire drills are needed, too.
First Aid: The Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 state that employers must have adequate and appropriate provisions, including a first aid needs assessment to determine the needs of your workplace. This helps keep the right amount of kits present, as well as fully stocked and somebody in charge of that.
Electrical Safety: The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 apply to all the electrical equipment in a work environment. Portable Appliance Testing should be at the top of this checklist, though it’s not legally mandated, as a step to keep the safety of all electrical items. This is everything from kettles to computers, so that potential shocks or fires are less likely.
Ergonomics: For employees who regularly use computers, a Display Screen Equipment (DSE) risk assessment is actually a legal requirement. These assessments are created to help avoid work-related upper limb disorders – these can arise from prolonged computer use. So, this means adding the workstation setup, posture, and break frequency onto the checklist. A more proactive measure could be offering free massages or yoga sessions as a benefit.

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Conclusion

There’s a lot to add to a small business safety checklist, but ultimately it’s going to depend on the types of industry and workplace, as well as just how proactive and comprehensive of a strategy you want – just ticking the boxes to meet minimum compliance is well documented. But, to go above and beyond is to accept a high level of corporate responsibility, resulting in more productive and loyal workers. It’s not only the investment to avoid accidents and time off, but to indicate to the employees that they’re valued, and working long-term here will not result in posture problems, electric shocks or a lack of leadership during adverse events.