Business Safety Tips: Retail Trade & Trade Contractors

Protecting Employees  

Do you:

• Have a written Hazard Communication program
• Provide training on your Company's Hazard Communication Program
• Post evacuation routes that maps a safe exit from your building to the outside
• Have a safe place for assembly in an emergency and roll call procedures
• Train your employees on proper lifting techniques
• Provide carts, conveyors and pallet jacks to reduce the amount of lifting and carrying by employees
• Enforce the use of personal protective equipment eg hearing protection, safety glasses etc 
• Ensure that all tools are adequately guarded and are in proper working order

Protecting Property

Do you:

•  Provide portable ULC listed fire extinguishers in accordance with provincial fire code regulations
• Ensure that electrical equipment used in areas where flammable liquids are stored meet the required standards
• Train employees on the use of extinguishers
• Have extinguishers inspected by qualified personnel on an annual basis and document service records
• Assign a designated employee, as well as a backup, the duty of calling the fire dept in case of an emergency.
• Ensure that all electrical equipment and wiring are inspected and maintained on a regular basis
• Ensure that all non critical electrical equipment are turned off when the premises are unoccupied
• Ensure that power points are never overloaded with multiple adaptors
• Avoid the use of portable heaters with naked flames or radiant hot surfaces
• Ensure that combustible goods are not stored near heaters or open flame
• Ensure that smoking on the premises controlled to a designated external area and ash trays provided
• Keep outside areas free of combustible material and keep combustible trash in lockable bins to avoid fire by vandals
• Ensure that yards and storage compounds are adequately fenced and locked to prevent access by intruders  

Minimizing Crime Losses

Do you:

• Ensure that equipment off site is easily identifiable and is properly protected when not in use
• Ensure that tools are never left unattended and tool boxes are equipped with proper pad locks (Suggest Boron Shackle)
• Ensure that all external doors are fit with deadlocks and that all locking devices are in good working order
• Provide locking pins on exterior door hinges
• Ensure that your premises are protected by burglar alarm hooked up to a central station approved by your insurance company
• Limit the access to your alarm entry code
• Change your alarm code periodically
• Ensure that the perimeter of your premises is adequately lit at night
• Ensure that ladders are not left lying around outside your building
• Have a system in place for inventory control
• Supervise access to bank accounts and bank deposits
• Make frequent bank deposits and never leave large amounts of cash on site overnight
• Reconcile bank account records frequently

Minimizing Law Suits  

Do You:

•  Ensure that your customers sign a contract that clearly indicates the services to be provided
• Use a hot work permit when doing hot work off site
• Clean up work site at the end of each business day and have a garbage disposal procedure in place
• Ensure that sub-trades provide you with a Certificate of Insurance
• Check the quality and reputation of your supplies and suppliers
• Clearly mark wet areas and isolate traffic from problem areas
• Ensure that fire exits are clearly marked and kept free and clear
• Ensure that all fire exit doors are kept in proper working order
• Mark large areas of glass  
• Ensure that exit lights, emergency lights and fire alarms and exit doors are always functioning properly
• Ensure that sidewalks and parking lots are maintained in good working condition and free of obstruction
• Ensure that parking lot perimeters are marked, pedestrian walkways are marked with traffic controls and directional signals used
• Ensure that parking lots and walkways are cleared of snow and ice during the winter months
• Ensure that your snow removal contractor carry adequate limits of insurance
• Ensure exterior stairs with more than three steps are equipped with handrails
• Ensure that parking lots are well lit
• Use protective screens over outdoor light fixtures
• Have a spill cleanup procedure and that all employees are familiar with it, do you keep a log
• Document all incidents and keep an incident report log