How To Prevent Damage To Your Business

Your business will be always something you hold close to you. You went through a lot, dodged several pitfalls, and made difficult decisions. Physical damages caused by floods, vandalism, fires, and other interruptions will be very costly. Fortunately, many of these setbacks can be prevented by making some simple changes and taking measures to ensure the continuity of your operations.

These guidelines will help you keep your business running and prevent losses that you may accrue due to the damage to your enterprise. This will also help you set up measures that will ensure that if something does happen, you can easily recover and resume operations right away.

Regular Inspection

This is the first step in preventing severe untenable damages. Identifying potential hazards and risks early on will give you plenty of time to come up with sustainable ways to address it before it turns into an accident. Regularly inspecting your workplace for signs of significant risks will allow you to tidy it up in advance.

Water damage, electrical hazard, and foundation problems often show signs early on and rarely cause catastrophic accidents when addressed. If a problem has been identified, then a complete inspection to determine the exact issue will then follow suit. This is important when you conduct exercises to repair foundation problems as it might cause greater and irreversible damage if left unsolved. Efficiently repairing it will give you and the employees the peace of mind to go about their tasks.

Improve Security

Thieves and other criminals will have your building’s safety and maintenance at the bottom of their list. If they think they can get away with stealing some of your properties and assets, they’ll break anything they can just to have their way. So security will not only prevent thieves from stealing stuff, but it also prevents significant damage to your property. The most basic principle in security is discouraging perpetrators and their ill-intentioned plans:

• Secure Entry

Securing your premises is the first step in keeping your business safe. You will have to limit the entry points and control the traffic of people with designated areas, entrances, and access.

• Lighting

A dark area would entice burglars to use it as cover for when they enter your premises. Make sure you have adequate lighting, especially after business hours.

• Cameras

Video cameras are now very affordable as well as effective in preventing crime and vandalism. Having had appropriately placed your cameras and posting a sign outside that your business premises have surveillance will make those people think twice about doing their deed.

• Locked Doors and Windows

Make sure you lock all windows and doors after business hours.

Water Damage

Broken pipes and other plumbing-related incidents can be very costly, especially for small businesses. Flooding or freezing can cause operations to come to a complete halt until the source is dealt with along with the other damages that were accrued due to the event. This is why prompt repairs should be done to prevent further devastation such as molds, and other structural issues.

• Insulation

During winter when temperatures drop and exposed pipe is susceptible to freezing. The water can freeze within those pipes which would create a pressure that would subsequently cause the pipe to burst. This can lead to flooding and other physical damages.

Check for exposed pipes and insulate them promptly. Insulation is available at many hardware stores.

• Shut-off Valve

When you a pipe bursts, you’ll need to act and stop the flooding by cutting your water supply right away. Knowing where is your main shut-off valve is important to prevent further flooding.

• Seal Cracks and Gaps

As part of your regular inspection and maintenance, when you’ve identified cracks or leaks in your plumbing, make sure you seal those cracks right away. Gaps in the building’s exterior and foundation should also be addressed to maintain heating within your premises and prevent heat from escaping.

This will not only prevent pipes from freezing during winter, but it will also save costs on your utilities and make your workplace energy efficient.

• Proper Placement of Valuables

If your valuables are placed in an area where it’d be very difficult to vacate when there’s flooding, then you should think of other places to store them. Also, they shouldn’t pose harm or blockage to your employees when flooding thus occurs. Proper placement of assets is key in making a quick recovery when mishaps do happen.

Electrical Surge

An electrical surge can cause fires that would seldom spell the end to your business. They can also damage electrical devices in your offices or workplace which would then be an additional cost. Make sure you install surge protectors at key junctions of your electrical system and use those that are listed as UL Standard 1449. You can also use point-of-use protection for your electrical panel or with your service entrance.

Lightning strikes are very powerful as well as destructive. If you’re located in an area where thunderstorms are common, make sure you turn off all electrical devices when it’s coming.

Proper Maintenance Of Tools And Equipment

Make sure you have the proper maintenance of all your tools and equipment used in your business. A faulty tool will put your employees at risk as well as project their working on. Apply lubrication on applicable parts and clean them regularly.

If you’re working with harmful chemicals, make sure you have a designated storage unit for those substances. You should also restrict access to those materials and make sure it doesn’t leak and that would run through the vents and expose your employees, customers, vendors, etc., to its harmful effects.

Proper Communication

Preventing damages don’t have to fall entirely on you. If you outline it clearly in your company policy and communicate it to your employees, stakeholders, partners, and vendors you will have a better chance of preventing any mishaps from happening. And if someone would detect signs of failure in the building, then they would know who should they report it to. People have a habit of ignoring mass emails. So, print out the regulations and send them out in business envelopes to ensure everyone takes them seriously.

Don’t take prevention lightly. As a business person, you would already have learned a long time ago that you’d rather spend less on prevention than to shell out hefty costs for big repairs or rebuilding. Having all your bases covered means that your assets and interests are protected and measures are in place to make sure that they are protected from unwanted events.