Business water safety in the 21st century – what you need to know
Businesses in the 21st century have a whole array of fresh and troublesome safety issues to watch out for. From cybercrime to a whole host of complex regulations, it can be difficult trying to work out which of these risks actually deserve your attention.
In terms of both probability and negative impact, water safety definitely is high on that list. That being said, it’s often overlooked in modern business contexts, sometimes with devastating results. With that in mind, these are a few of the most important things you need to know about water safety in the modern era.
Recognising hazards
One of the main things to note when working on optimising business water safety, is the importance of trying to recognise which hazards are relevant in your environment. There are hazards which will be universally relevant, such as Legionnaires’ disease, and then industry-specific hazards such as the risk of chemical contamination from volatile substances. Working out which hazards are relevant is a critical first step, as it’ll help you direct your resources as efficiently as possible without missing out on any potentially critical areas of concern.
Structuring your approach
In most modern business contexts, you’ll need to make sure that your overall approach to water safety is clearly structured and documented. This means implementing a water safety plan, often with the help of a water hygiene specialist.
Your water safety plan will essentially consist of a document that ties together how you intend to go about tackling water safety-related risks. This will typically necessitate basic issues such as assigning clear responsibilities to various people in the organisation, and outlining what kinds of risk assessments you intend to conduct.
Regulatory compliance
While you will obviously want to take care of water safety for the sake of your employees and business more generally, it’s also important to be aware of any water safety regulations that might apply. These include both more general legal frameworks such as The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, and other industry-specific laws. It’s vital that you work together with an experienced water hygiene professional when tackling the issue of compliance, so that you can ensure you cover all the relevant bases in this area.
Focus on training employees
Lastly, while technology does play a crucial role in areas such as water testing and filtration, ultimately those technologies are only as effective if the people operating them are fully capable. Practically speaking, what this means is that you need to place a serious focus on the importance of employee training. Make sure that this includes both general training on best practices for employees with limited responsibility, and more specifically designed courses for those with key roles in water hygiene.
Taking water safety seriously should be a priority for all business owners. By adopting the tactics listed above, and adapting them to suit the specific environment in which your business operates, you can ensure that you minimise a whole host of risks, helping to protect your business in the long term.
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