Regardless if you are a manager for a government office or an owner of a private entrepreneur business, the safety of employees, visitors and customers should be at the top of your list of concerns. You have invested time and money to get them in your establishment, either working for you or buying your product or service. You need to be concerned how they get to your place of business safely and ensure they feel confident you have their safety in mind. No one should suffer because of avoidable dangers in and around the property. By creating a safe and healthy workplace, managers also protect themselves and their investment in employees and customers.

Regardless of how long your employees have been working for you, there has already been financial investment. The cost and time of getting employees through the interview and hiring process is just the beginning. Once in the door the investment continues with training, which can be done either internally by you or by other staff in your organization. Employees can get additional training through outside sources, sending an employee to specialized training outside your organization. This is a financial investment or an investment of time, but can be of great benefit if resources are not readily available at your location.

Your Parking Lot

Where do your employees and customers park? Do people have a long walk to their transportation? Or a long walk to the entrance to your property? Are there strangers loitering in the area who might cause harm or intimidation? How is the lighting at the end of the day, when it gets dark outside? Do you have cameras observing the parking lot and entrances/exits from your business? This can be a huge deterrent for unsavory individuals.

If you are a large organization, security patrols will help people to feel more comfortable. If not, try talking to the local police or sheriff departments to make your street a regular route during the morning and evenings. Can police irregularly drive through your location during the business day? This can deter unwanted individuals from hanging out in the area while providing additional security for customers and employees. If police patorls alone are insufficient, can you afford security?

Can employees get to their cars safely when it’s dark? During the months with shorter day light, the lighting in your parking lots is significantly more important at the end of the day. The lighting needs to cover the parking area, overlapping, ensuring there is no dark areas. The lighting should cover the entire parking area, and should be inspected nightly to ensure they are all functioning. Replacement bulbs should not be delayed.

Access to Your Building

Are there areas for predators to hide and wait?

Landscape provides beauty to any business and work place. But it can also provide concealment for those wanting to harm your customers or employees. Bushes should be small and well maintained, not a place for predators to hide. Low lighting behind the shrubs can help uncover unexpected dangers.

The homeless population has created a new concern for all managers. They live in alcoves of the building, leaving many dangers and health risks to everyone. Having the area cleaned prior to the opening of business will help provide a healthier environment for everyone.

I talked with a business owner who has a company clean the front of his business each morning. This ensures a safe environment for each employee, customer or visitor who arrives at his business. This is an added expense that is not always easy to incur. If the property is shared with other businesses, you may want to discuss the possibility that the cost could be shared by all.

The side walks need to be clean and safe to walk on. Does someone check the safety of the sidewalks? I had a friend who was walker her dog on a public sidewalk when a neighbor approached with her dog. As they passed each other, my friend tripped on an unseen crack. Because she was not expecting it, she fell without putting her hands out, hitting her face on the sidewalk. For the next week she looked beat up. Not good for a school teacher to stand in front of her class with two black eyes. If this was to happen at your property, would it cost you and your business more than bruises and black eyes?

Accessing the Parking Area

Walking to the car is possibly one of the most vulnerable times for individuals. Employees are tired from the work day. Customers are distracted about their list of things to do. Both are distracted by the cares and concerns of their family life. What’s for dinner? Who needs to be picked up? What event do they need to get to?

Per the National Safety Council –

More than 50,000 crashes occur in parking lots and garage structures annually, resulting in 500 or more deaths and more than 60,000 injuries. And, around the holidays, parking lots become even more dangerous.

Auto insurers report the number of claims spike on Black Friday and run above normal throughout the holiday shopping season.

Distractions –

National Safety Council reported – Thousands of pedestrians end up with broken bones, tissue damage or even worse because of cell phone or other distractions in parking lots.

In a NSC public opinion poll, 66% of drivers nationwide said they would make phone calls while driving through parking lots. Respondents also said they would:

• Program GPS systems (63%)
• Text (56%)
• Use social media (52%)
• Send or receive emails (50%)
• Take photos or watch videos (49%)

During the hectic holiday season, drivers and pedestrians also are likely to be distracted by extensive to-do lists and are hurriedly trying to get from one place to another.

You can’t do a lot about customers and visitors. But you can inform employees about these hazards.

Sending an email to each employee once a quarter, reminding them to be cautious when walking to their car and to avoid distracted driving, even in parking lots, can help to keep everyone just a little safer.

Employees should walk to their car with others, if possible. If not, they should not be looking at their cell phone. The employee should walk to their car with confidence, head up and looking around. This includes looking behind; you don’t want anyone approaching you without you knowing. Criminals are looking for a victim who will be surprised by their approach, creating an advantage. Most criminal are not looking to fight the person they are attacking or robbing. If you look confident and aware, they are likely to look for an easier target.

Create an advantage for your employees. Remind them to look around.

The employee should leave the building prepared to enter their car. Keys should be in their hand, ready to unlock and enter quickly. A person should not approach the car, and then fumble to find keys. Each person approaching their car should take a walk around the car before getting in:

• Is anyone hiding on the side of your car?
• Is there someone hiding in the car?
• Do the tires look good to travel?
• Is someone or thing lying in front or behind the car?

Another advantage to have your keys in hand, the key can be a weapon to use against an attacker. This is another way to surprise an attacker, jab them in the face with the point of a key.

Local martial arts instructors would be willing to share techniques on how to protect yourself on the way to the car.

The SECRET to getting to the car safely is being aware of everything as you are walking. Walking with your face in a cell phone is a total distraction.

Keep Everyone Safe

As a manager you have a financial investment in every employee and customers who enters your property. What are you willing to do to keep everyone safe? What are you willing to lose if you don’t?

Also, as co-workers we all become friends, possibly feeling as family. No one wants the emotional tragedy of a co-worker being injured, or worse.

Make every effort to make the exterior of your building safe for all who approach.

I have worked 31 years in a prison. When I started, going through the gate and hearing the clang of metal behind me caused the hair stand up on my neck. The gate closing behind me does not have the same effect now. The point is, all of us get use to the environment we live in. There are things that get my radar up when I am walking in a prison, but being closed in doesn’t bother me anymore.

As I drive I am concerned about the safety of those I see traveling through their community. Most everyone I see has their face in a phone, not even knowing what is approaching them. People walk into each other, or solid objects. Have you seen the health care commercial where the woman trips in to a water fountain while walking and checking Instagram?

What risks are your employees walking into?