No business owner wants to be held liable for injuries that occur on their property. However, the more employees, tenants, customers, and other members of the general public who enter the property, walk around the building, or have business somewhere within the facility, the more the likelihood increases of someone being injured.
Any commercial property owner can minimize risk by focusing on safety for their employees and any maintenance personnel who provide services for that facility.
When you’re talking about cleaning commercial floors, there are numerous risks involved. For 24 hour facilities, such as supermarkets, hospitals, and other such places, risks increase because it is essentially impossible to close these facilities down just to clean the floors at night.
It may also be unrealistic to cordon off specific areas, including aisles or wings of a hospital. Below are a few tips to keep in mind that can reduce potential injuries for employees as well as anyone coming onto the property during general maintenance hours.
Use signs effectively.
If your maintenance department is washing the floors, they should place warning signs in clearly visible areas. If they are placed to the side and a person doesn’t see it, they may not be on guard for potentially slick surfaces.
Watch cords.
Electrical cords can be tripping hazards. The maintenance personnel should be aware of the position of the cords they use as they move throughout the facility.
It’s usually best to work from the closest point to an outlet away from it. That reduces the risk of the maintenance personnel running any type of floor commercial floor cleaning equipment from tripping on those cords as well.
Work in small sections.
When cleaning commercial floors in a hospital setting or other environment, it may be best to work on one half of a corridor or hallway before moving to the other half. That can allow employees, visitors, and even patients of a hospital to walk safely back and forth down the corridor.
Paying attention to these potential risk factors at 24 hour facilities can help reduce liability risks while also ensuring cleanliness of the facility itself.