AS a business owner and member of the Warrington community, you know how important it is to protect your premises and look after your employees’ health and safety. Although local businesses thrive on the support that’s offered to them by those living and working nearby, we must all take matters into our own hands when it comes to protecting our livelihoods. While some measures, including security systems, metal shutters, fire extinguishers and CCTV cameras, are an obvious choice when it comes to matters of health, safety and security, other means of protecting your business might not be immediately apparent. Would you know how to protect your business from a cyber-attack? Do your employees know what to do in the event of a fire? Who can help should the worst happen? Such measures may take mere minutes to establish, but they will protect your business in the future.
Keeping employees safe during working hours
The safety of your employees and customers is paramount. Forgetting attempts to deter criminals for a moment, it’s your responsibility to ensure that your business premises are habitable, equipped with appropriate fire safety measures, and inspected regularly; you need to be certain that those entering your premises for any reason are going to be safe and you should obtain the correct licences and insurance required. Your business premises must be fitted with smoke alarms that are tested regularly and you must adhere to laws regarding fire extinguishers and sprinkler systems. You should also have a clearly labelled emergency exit strategy, and be able to direct employees and visitors to the nearest emergency exits and meeting points. First aid kits are often overlooked but will play a huge part in the care of employees, associates and customers that are taken ill, or injured, while at your property. As a business owner or manager, it’s up to you to keep the kit stocked with appropriate supplies, and to ensure there’s always someone on-site that is first aid trained.
Crime prevention during business hours
In order to protect your business it’s wise to conduct a risk assessment. Where does your current protocol let you down? Have you noticed any obvious weaknesses, or been a victim of crime in recent weeks or months? A risk assessment will allow you to identify areas for improvement before you make any expensive decisions. Next, consider the ways that you can protect your business and its staff during operational hours. CCTV cameras, bright lighting, and mirrors, which will enable employees to see all corners of a shop floor at any one time, can be highly effective when it comes to deterring shoplifters in a retail environment. Similarly, careful planning will keep expensive or vulnerable stock away from entrances and exits – and harm’s way. Perhaps you operate a local office or workshop; crime prevention is no less important here, so think carefully about access codes wherever appropriate, alarm systems that will put you in contact with security personnel, and CCTV. You, and your employees, have a right to feel safe as you go about your business.
Protecting your business after hours
Your approach to crime prevention and property security shouldn’t end with close of business, but continue around the clock every day of the year. Indeed, you may find that your property becomes even more enticing to criminals once it’s left unstaffed, putting you at an increased risk of being burgled. There are numerous simple steps that you can take to protect your business after hours, including the installation of door and window locks and shutters, the establishment of a motion sensor security system and alarms, and the introduction of an on-site safe for important documents and cash that must remain at the property overnight. You may wish to appoint the services of a private security firm, and you would do well to invest in sufficient lighting to illuminate those darker corners. It’s essential to consider your property’s weak points, including ordinary points of entry. Have you restricted access to sets of keys, introduced an access code, and ensured that windows are secured before exiting the building? Such simple steps can make all the difference to the integrity of your business premises.
Coping in the aftermath of a break in
Of course, it’s not always possible to deter criminals, or to prevent them from accessing your business’s premises; the most determined burglars, vandals and opportunists would always find a way, regardless of the measures that you’ve put in place. In the event of a break in, it’s important not to panic, and to take stock of the situation immediately. How has the criminal accessed your property? What has been taken? Has any other damage been done? The answers to these questions will be required by the police and insurance companies, so take your time to consider the events. Next, think about securing your business property. Broken windows and damaged doors should be repaired or replaced as quickly as possible to prevent further criminal activity, so seek the advice of a company such as All Emergency Services as soon as you have reported the break in to the relevant authorities. Finally, consider the lessons that can be learned from this unlawful entry. Could your security systems be improved? Was your property insufficiently secured? Take the opportunity to improve your business’s security procedures, and look ahead to the future.
Online safety and security
Whether your business is based online or uses computers to store and handle data, you need to be aware of the risks posed by fraudsters and cyber criminals; data breaches and software hacks are more common than ever and pose a real risk to small businesses across the country. It is essential you take such threats seriously and implement procedures that will secure data pertaining to your business and its customers; the loss of personal details and payment information would be devastating for your business, its profits and your reputation.
Many of the steps you should be taking to ensure integrity of your online systems are relatively straightforward. They include regularly updating software and security programs, implementing a wireless network password and restricting its access, and setting strict IT boundaries among staff members. It’s also wise to educate staff on the seriousness of cybercrime, and to run regular scans of your computers and their software. Never store valuable data on a USB stick or external hard drive unless you can guarantee that device’s security, and always ignore emails from unknown senders. It only takes one slip-up to disable a computer system, so be vigilant each time you log on.
If you’re a company owner in Warrington or the surrounding area, it’s in your best interests to keep abreast of the latest crime prevention and health and safety systems; your premises and stock, the security of your staff, and the reputation on which your livelihood depends are all counting on your vigilance.
