HOUSEKEEPING — Not Just for Hotels
Risk management is a very broad concept. There are multiple factors, some basic and easy to assess and others requiring algebraic equations. The purpose of a comprehensive risk management program implemented is to reduce potential incidents which may reduce the value of a business. Recognition of future potential hazards is beneficial to the stability and health of a business. A thorough risk management program is not a one-time action. It is best to view as a continual work in progress. There can be some portions of the plan requiring annual review, and others daily.
An invaluable daily action risk management program component is referred to “housekeeping”. When I first heard the concept, visions of a hotel worker in a smock with broom in hand came to mind. It’s partially true. Housekeeping is the activity to keep the workplace indoors and outdoors free of clutter. In many communities the fire marshal may cite a business owner for a variety of infractions. Although infrequent, a firefighter or health department official (for food service) can make an unexpected walk in survey of any business. The potential for this occurrence is a deterrent for many managers.
Some readers may think, this doesn’t apply. I’m writing this just for you then. A professional office is a highly unlikely candidate for a fire department official to pop in. If your company is in a commercial high rise, the property owner is required to have all emergency systems tested annually by the fire department. In California buildings over 55 feet (usually 5 stories) and 75 feet in New York are considered high rises. These structures often have additional safety protocols. Although these rules apply to fire or emergency events (riot, natural disaster, etc.) the rules still include requirements to keep aisles clear and exit doors in working order, meaning no chained or blocked doors.
If your office looks like a teenager’s bedroom, your house keeping grade is an “F”. Risk management plans include housekeeping for two primary reasons:
1. A well-maintained space provides easy access for staff and visitors to exit in an emergency situation safely and quickly.
2. Organized spaces are more efficient. If stacks of files and papers are instead kept in a filed system, the day to day operations are easier to manage.
For the office worker, organization equals less work and in theory higher profits. For the brick and mortar business, a clear aisle is a safer space for employees and customers to navigate the store.
When organizing your house keeping rules, think like you are an outsider. Would you shop in a store with damaged products on shelves and mystery fluids spilled on floors? Maybe it’s just water. If you are in an office environment would you take a job or be a client of a company that had stacks of paper in random piles or funky odors emanating from the kitchenette?
Almost off my soapbox. Good house-keeping goes a long way in improving multiple areas of a business from employee and customer safety to a more efficient and ideally more economical workspace, such as in a well-managed floorplan, less energy is required to cool/heat an office. Besides who wants to work with a bunch of grumpy colleagues because someone didn’t take their turn cleaning the office refrigerator.
