When it comes to health and safety, businesses have to really be on the ball in order to adhere to regulations. Failure to comply with these regulations can result in severe penalties but more importantly they can pose a risk when it comes to the safety of employees. One of the mistakes that many businesses make is having a work area that is cluttered and therefore poses risks at every corner.
When you have a cluttered office or work area, it can be difficult for employees to get around and access the areas that they need to go to. Even worse, sometimes clutter can results in vital areas such as fire exits becoming blocked, which can not only pose danger but could results in fatalities in the event of a fire. This is why it is so important for any businesses to assess the work area and take steps to ensure that all areas are clear from clutter.
What you can do
There are a number of steps that you can take in order to clear your work space of clutter. First off, you need to do a thorough inspection so that you can determine what needs to stay and what can be housed elsewhere. There may even be items that you can dispose of such as files that are over a certain number of years old and therefore do not need to be kept any longer.
If you have bulky items that are taking up a lot of space but that are not used on a regular basis, you can consider putting them in safe storage. This will enable you to keep hold of these items until you need them but also means that you won’t be taking up valuable space in the office or work area. If you do not need the items at all, there are various options available. You could consider selling them online if they are in good condition or you can send them to a charity on behalf of your business. Many places will take things like office furniture because they can be sold on with relative ease.
If you have items that are damaged and are no longer needed, you need to ensure you dispose of them responsibly. You can recycle some items such as computer monitors and electrical equipment if it is damaged. You can also hire a skip if you have a large office that needs to be cleared out. This will enable you to benefit from greater convenience and ease when it comes to getting rid of the clutter in the workspace. In some cases, you may find that restructuring the interior design and moving things around can help to create more space.
Crucially, you need to make sure that there are no obstructions and obstacles that could pose a danger to your employees, particularly in terms of your fire escapes. These should always be free and easily accessible in case your staff needs to exit the building in an emergency.
