Why Workplace Safety Is Required In The Restoration Business
No single property is immune from damage brought about by storms and other natural calamities. Regardless of the materials used during construction, homes can still be drenched in floodwater—and when this happens, homeowners will immediately call a restoration company.
A restoration company works by pumping out water from several areas of a home (usually from the basement) and inspect for other sources of damage. These professionals will create and implement a restoration plan to ensure that homeowners get to utilize a dry and structurally sound property even after a flood.
If you’re planning to provide this service and start your own restoration business, prioritize workplace safety first. Just like any other industry, workplace safety should be a requirement because of the following reasons:
1. Use Tools Properly
You’ll be using several tools to provide restoration services. Generally, your business will have to invest in pumps to effectively remove water from a property, vacuums to remove water from carpets, and shampoos to remove any sediment and dirt. These are commercial units that come in large sizes.
Workplace training also includes classroom and hands-on training for your employees so they’ll know how to effectively use the tools for the job. IICRC Classes, for example, provide cleaning and restoration courses perfect for employees working in the restoration business.
By letting your employees join training and workshops approved by the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification, you’ll be able to hit two birds with one stone: you can maximize the lifespan of the tools you’ve invested for the business, and you can ensure that your employees are safe while they’re using it.
2. Mandated By Law
When you start a business, you are not only expected to produce the most innovative products or services—you should also adhere to the rules and regulations set by the state. While some laws vary from state to state, one thing is certain: the workplace safety law mandates businesses to ensure that their employees are safe.
Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, all companies should provide a safe workplace for all of their employees. This means that as an employer, the workplace you provide to your employees should allow them to work efficiently without putting their safety on the line. This law covers both public and private business sectors.
3. Produces Happy Employees
Sure, you might be the owner of the restoration business, but keep in mind that you can’t run it on your own. Even if you’re starting as a small business, you will still need a lot of people to handle different facets of the business. You need to hire experienced individuals who can work on your human resources, accounting, and operations, among others.
Workplace safety is vital in a restoration business because it produces happy employees. When you have happy employees, the resources you’ve spent on recruitment won’t be wasted. Happy employees are also easy to retain, which means that you don’t have to regularly fire and hire
employees.
According to a study, the productivity of your employees increases by as much as 12% to 20% if they are happy. This benefit alone should convince you that workplace safety is indeed vital in a restoration business. With happier employees, it’ll be easier for your startup business to stand out from the competition and haul in more customers.
4. Reduces Costs And Disruption
When starting a business, you’ll likely have limited financial resources. You’ll have to be frugal with your expenses to keep the business running. A single financial mistake can shorten the lifespan of your business and can even become the reason why you’ll be bankrupt.
Workplace safety is a smart investment because it allows your business to reduce costs and disruptions. When none of your employees are injured or harmed while working, your business won’t have to spend money on hospitalization bills and insurance claims. An accident-free workplace allows you to maximize your financial resources.
When an employee gets involved in an accident at work, you won’t only lose money; your operations will be disrupted because the employee will have to miss days from work to recover. Depending on the severity of the injury, this employee might need to be absent from work for weeks.
Once an employee missed days from work, other areas of the business will be affected as well. This is especially true if the employee holds a managerial position.
Always Update
Starting a restoration business doesn’t only require financial capital. You should also pour in resources to invest in your employees, brand image, and services—and having a safety program in place can help you achieve all of these things. Just make sure that you’re attending regular training and certification to update your knowledge on workplace safety.