John Maddox
Business Escalator Indoors Stock Mall Shopping
As a small business owner, you should know how important it is to keep your customers safe, but that doesn’t make this task any easier. Unfortunately, operating your business from a brick and mortar store only makes this job more of a challenge, as you open yourself up to risks and dangers that you simply wouldn’t encounter if you run your business online, such as crimes like vandalism and theft, and slip and fall accidents. If you want to keep your customers safe when they enter your brick and mortar business, then here are six factors that you need to consider.
- Fire Hazards
It doesn’t matter what type of business you run; if you operate out of a brick and mortar business, then there will always be a risk of fire. Of course, this risk will be increased if you sell flammable products, like clothing and furniture, but there are plenty of other factors that could result in a fire, such as exposed wiring from computers or the fire risk of a neighboring business. To keep your customers and business safe, it’s vital that you have a proper fire exit and fire extinguishers installed. You should also keep flammable materials away from heat sources.
- Lighting
Many businesses like to keep their lighting low to create a relaxed ambience, but this is a pretty risky move. Depending on the type of business you run, this could lead to a higher number of accidents within your store, as customers won’t be able to see the aisles properly.They also won’t be able to spot things on the floor that could trip them over. Low lighting also makes it more difficult to spot thieves, which leaves your customers at the mercy of pickpockets. It’s much more sensible to have bright lighting throughout the entire building.
- Slips And Falls
Slip and fall accidents are incredibly common within brick and mortar stores, and although you may never be able to eliminate the risk completely, there is a lot that you can do to avoid a call from your customers’ slip and fall lawyers. The first thing that you should do is give your store a thorough tidy, removing any potential trip hazards from your floors, such as boxes, pallets, and wires. You should also make sure to clean up any spillages as soon as they occur and display clear signs when the floor is wet.
- Signs
Signs are incredibly important for your brick and mortar business, as they can help to dramatically decrease the risk of many safety concerns. Placing a sign on a wet floor, for example, will let your customers know that they need to be careful, which means they’ll be a lot less likely to slip over, and that you won’t be at fault if they do. You should also clearly identify any other important pieces of information, such as where the fire doors are, areas your customers shouldn’t, where the toilets are, and whether the doors are push, pull, or automatic.
- Security Measures
Brick and mortar businesses have to face a lot more crime than most online based businesses do, including vandalism and theft. To reduce the risk of crime in your store, and in turn, reduce the risk that this has on your customers, it’s important that you assess your security and consider increasing it. If you don’t have one already, you should definitely consider installing an alarm system, as well as security cameras throughout the entire building. You should also make sure that you keep back doors locked, and keep as little money on the premises as possible.
- Employee Training
There is a range of emergencies that could arise in your business, and the reactions of your employees could be the difference between everyone leaving safely and someone getting hurt. Because of this, it’s vital that your employees are properly trained for many of these possible emergencies so that they know what to do if they’re ever faced with one. For example, if there’s ever a fire in your store, it’s important that your employees remain calm, and that they lead your customers out of the store in an orderly fashion.
While there are many benefits to running a brick and mortar store, there are also a lot more hazards you have to face when compared with online businesses. This means that your customers also have more hazards to face. It’s your job to keep your customers safe, so make sure that you consider the advice above.
