’A Stitch In Time:’ Safety Guidance for Home and Workplace

The final weeks of winter are prime time to do some “safety cleaning” in your home or business. Reducing risk saves time, money, and in some cases, even life and limb! An annual safety check is a relatively easy way to make sure your dwelling or place of work is safe for you, your family and your employees.

While it may be impossible to eliminate all risk, making a regular habit of reviewing the many potential hazard areas of your property and its surroundings can greatly reduce the chance of damage should a casualty occur.

For Business Owners:

• Review Return to Office procedures. Check and restock personal protective gear. Encourage employees to stay at home when they feel ill.
• Conduct a Safety Survey of your facility. Remove potential ingress/egress and trip hazards. Make sure all fire extinguishers and chemical clean-up kits are fully charged and stocked. Check and restock first aid stations. Tidy up storage areas and ensure stacked items are secure.
• Check your emergency preparedness plan. Does it cover weather emergencies? Make sure you review and conduct employee communication and training for fire, flood and tornado events.
• Walk the surrounding property. Remove debris from HVAC systems as well as gutters and downspouts. Check the condition of roofing systems. Are automatic doors operable and clear of obstacles? Remove brush adjacent to structures.
• Review and repost Workmen’s Compensation notices. Be sure to keep full documentation of all claims activity.

For Homeowners:

• Discuss emergency procedures with family members. Make sure they know what to do and who to contact in the event of injury, fire or flooding.
• Check fire alarms and replace the batteries. Check fire extinguishers to ensure they have an adequate charge.
• Is a first aid kit readily accessible to all family members? Make sure it’s fully stocked and medications are up-to-date.
• Check the condition of your roof. Consider replacing it if it shows evidence of damage or excessive wear.
• Be aware of and fix potential water intrusion sites. This includes cleaning clogged gutters and downspouts as well as making sure air conditioners drain properly to the exterior of the house.
• Test your home’s alarm system. Review panic functions and proper settings with family members.
• Remove fire hazards from both the interior and exterior of your home, including flammable liquids inside and brush and debris outside.
• Prune trees of any dead limbs or have them removed if they’re diseased.

Remember, there is no single solution to eliminating risk. However, a system of actionable tasks can greatly reduce the chances of a casualty. Let Oakbridge help create or update your safety plan. Our personalized approach to insuring your property or business means we can save you money by providing the highest value coverage at the best possible price. We’ve been helping our neighbors across the southeast mitigate risk for nearly 100 years.