Successfully running a business, in most cases, means mitigating a wide range of different potential risks. From sanitising food preparation areas to ensuring that no allergens are present that might harm employees, it can often feel like a full-time job.
One of the most important risks that will need to be dealt with in every single physical workplace is the issue of water safety. It’s a fundamental requirement for any premises owners that welcome visitors, customers, or employees into their buildings – here’s just why it’s so vital for your business.
Protecting your brand and general reputation
As a business owner, you constantly need to be considering how to best safeguard your brand and public perception. Failure to take water safety seriously can, in some cases, result in outbreaks of potentially very serious diseases and infections, especially affecting those with already weakened immune systems.
While this can obviously have some highly detrimental short-term effects in terms of ill health, it can also lead to long-term, potentially irreparable damage to your brand.
This is clearly illustrated by the aftermath of the first recorded outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease, a water-borne form of pneumonia. Shortly after the incident, the occupancy rate of the hotel in which the outbreak occurred plummeted to just 4%, with the business being forced to close down shortly after. Water safety plans nowadays are typically created to mitigate the risk of easily preventable illnesses such as Legionnaires’ disease.
It’s a legal requirement
Water safety isn’t just about disaster prevention – it’s also a legal requirement. All businesses have a legal duty to provide consistent access to safe drinking water, according to the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992.
This means that you can’t just avoid water-borne disease outbreaks by not having any water sources on your premises. Failure to provide access to safe water is a serious legal breach, and can result in legal action being brought against your business.
A more general responsibility
Quite aside from legal and brand-related issues, you have a general responsibility to care for your employees. Showing a dedication towards your moral duty of care can help to create a positive work environment, decreasing turnover rates and helping you to attract the best talent in the industry.
What can you do to ensure water safety in your business?
Luckily, water safety is a relatively simple issue to take care of in most instances. Through the use of professionally undertaken water risk assessments, and the creation of customised water safety plans, you can ensure that you are able to mitigate the unique water-related risks faced by your business. This approach will likely require constant updates, to ensure that any new environmental factors are taken into consideration.
This should now have you convinced as to why water safety is so important for your business. From protecting your brand, to ensuring that employees feel like they’re being looked after and valued, it’s something that all business owners need to take seriously in the long run.
Disclosure: This is a featured post.