December is a good time to evaluate your current safety routine and to make any necessary changes. When you are the owner operator of a large retail space, you are responsible for many different aspects of the business. Not only do you have to focus on improving sales and bringing additional customers into the business, but you also have to ensure that your business is safe for everyone that sets foot in it. These safety tips are some of the most important to focus on in the coming year.
Evaluate your fire and other emergency plans
What are your current emergency plans? What are guests and employees expected to do in the event of an emergency? Is there a clear exit plan? Are there any barriers to a quick exit? When was the last time that this emergency plan was evaluated and tested? It is important to evaluate these emergency plans often. If you have yet to complete one for the year, consider doing so before the end of the month. Consider all types of emergencies, including fire, natural disaster, and even security threats.
Schedule maintenance for all elevators and escalators
If there are multiple floors in your business, it is likely that thousands of customers use the elevators and escalators, maybe even on a daily basis. Now is the time to schedule your elevator safety company inspections. Once the new year starts, it will get busy again and scheduling an elevator safety company inspection can get pushed to the bottom of the list. Collectively, U.S. elevators make approximately 18 billion passenger trips per year. It is important that these trips are safe.
Consider your need for additional customer transportation
In addition to increasing your commercial elevator safety, this is also a good time to establish any need for additional commercial elevator installations. Do your customers have to wait a long time to use the elevator? Are the elevators not moving fast enough to satisfy your customers? If an elevator requires repairs by a local elevator safety company, are your customers required to take another method of moving between floors? Any of these situations might indicate that it is time to install another elevator. Work with your local elevator company on placement and ensuring elevator safety.
Another use for additional elevators is for employee use. Some industries, especially in the hotel and warehousing industries, require a special elevator for employees. Employees are required to move around the building often with supplies including cleaning products, repair tools, and even furniture. Fortunately, there are elevators that are specifically designed for employee use. There are currently five primary types of elevators that can vary in size and capacity, passenger, freight, LULA, home, and personnel. Your local elevator safety company can help you with choosing the right type of new elevator installation.
Inspect all elevators for minor repairs
Elevators, like any other type of mechanical machine, require preventative maintenance. Keeping up with these maintenance tasks ensures that the elevator continues running throughout your busiest of seasons. Making minor elevator repairs can also save you from large lawsuits caused by small problems escalating into larger ones. Despite safety possibilities, however, elevators are safer in general than escalators. Elevators are actually twenty times safer than escalators. There are twenty times more elevators than escalators, but only a third more accidents.
The year has flew by and many preventative maintenance tasks and responsibilities have gotten pushed further and further down the to do list. Fortunately, there is still time left in the year to complete those tasks. Schedule your elevator and building repairs and safety inspections for the coming year. Complete any needed preventative maintenance tasks and repairs. Consider your business growth expectations for the next year and plan out any added elevator needs.