Averting Disaster Through a Safety Management System

Building a company, even a small one, requires that a number of different steps be followed. Some of these steps are for the protection of the company, from managing its assets safely to dealing with emergencies. Companies have certain obligations to ensure that their employees are safe, and if there is an emergency situation that the various types of emergency personnel can get in and quickly deal with it. Suffice to say that there are a number of issues that need to set up and dealt with when it comes to the company’s safety management system.

The system is best looked at as if it is a series of layers. Each layer ideally acts as a break between the next, working to prevent greater accidents from happening. Working from the innermost layer outwards, this protects the most dangerous equipment, prevents any basic equipment problems, provides for day-to-day problems, and allows for the worst case scenarios. By working out ways to deal with safety issues ahead of time, a company ensures that it deals with the legal ramifications of a situation before the situation even happens. By there being a system in place, this makes dealing with an emergency situation far simpler than it could be.

The most dangerous equipment must be dealt with first because it creates the highest amount of risk. This means that the equipment must be properly safeguarded, with protective signage pointing out the risk as well as what to do if something happens to that equipment. Electronic systems can be set up to gauge if there are any leaks as well as to notify either the company, a security company, or emergency crews, as needed. The system can also specify what steps are to be taken should a problem with the equipment be found, and who should be notified. In short, if the equipment is expensive and important, it needs to be dealt with under your system.

Of course, more mundane problems should be dealt with as well. Regular equipment needs to dealt with as well. Shredders and copiers may seem mostly harmless, but they can cause accidents usually through extreme misuse. There are also need to be contingency plans in case the there is an accident or serious equipment failure can cause a serious mishap, such as a plumbing accident or building fire. A plan must be in place to deal with the problem. Making sure that the equipment is taken care of or that people have training in order to deal with these problems should be part of the plan.

You also need to know how emergency vehicles can get to the company so as to facilitate that approach, such as the necessity to keep areas clear and to move vehicles if necessary. You need to make sure that your plans can deal with any contingency when it comes to an emergency, with an emphasis on thoroughness rather than brevity. Your system needs to consider everything, as it may be the only thing between your company and total disaster.