People Safety, Building Safety and Workplace Productivity
When it comes to safety-proofing the building there are a three main objectives that must be, not only achieved, but harmonised. These are the safety of people; the safety of the property (including internal fixtures and fittings) and the operational efficiency of the site. When you’ve invested millions of pounds into a new or renovated property, you need to protect the investment. If this is a productive workspace then you have the added complexity of making sure it’s operationally efficient and safe.
Select a Credible Partner
Do your homework and making sure you appoint a reputable partner / supplier, when it comes to impact safety in the workplace. It’s a very specialist area and, by selecting the right partner, you will surely save yourself time and money and you will achieve the right results for your site. Look at their website, read any case studies and speak to the organisation, to get a feel for their approach and expertise. Also think about how unique your solution needs to be. Some suppliers will answer the brief by curating a group of products together; the best suppliers will tailor-fit a solution – even adapt products – to deliver what the site really needs.
Provide a Solid Brief
A good partner will take the time to understand the site-specific needs, but it is always helpful if the customer is prepared with a brief. The supplier needs to understand the full purpose of the site or facility. For example, will it be automated, manual pick, high-bay racking. They need to know the purpose of the facility and how it will operate, so they can identify any risks and opportunities.
Get Your Specialist Partner Involved Early In the Process
As soon as your project is live, then involve your specialist impact protection partner. Essentially you’re getting a free-of-charge consultancy – they will make a valuable contribution to how the site functions and operates both safely and effectively.
Devise a Safety of People Plan
Working with your supplier, devise a Safety of People plan. If you have a lot of machinery and vehicles operating on site, then the safety of the operators – and all the people – is paramount. By doing this exercise, you naturally start to form a Protection of Property and Equipment Plan, which is the next logical step.
Devise a Protection of Property and Equipment Plan
As mentioned before, this goes hand-in-hand with the protection of your people, but allows you to explore and assess further risks to the property and equipment. From here you’ll identify areas and assets that require additional safeguarding.
Risk Assess Your Total Safety and Protection Requirements
This is the point where you get all the key stakeholders around the table to review the safety and protection requirements. This usually involves the architect, the developer / contractor, the proprietor and the specialist impact protection partner. There will always be site-specifics and different customer needs and risks, and this process will ensure you’ve covered everything – from safety of people and property, through to productivity and even the aesthetics, which really do matter too.
Refer Back to Your Plan Throughout
When it comes to the installation phase, make sure you keep referring back. Review your plans and review the marked-up drawings. Sometimes you will need to make changes. A good partner will be proactive and adopt a flexible approach to your potential change of needs or requirements.
Speak to Brandsafe about your site-specific safety requirements.