New Beginnings: Making Sure to Your Workplace is Safe

I decided I wished to fix a one-room schoolhouse in my neighborhood and use it for my business. I thought it would add some character to my company and it was much more affordable than purchasing office space in the city. There were, nonetheless, lots of remodeling that need to be done before we can move into the building. We required some new fire extinguisher cabinets, fire blanket cabinets, vertical mailboxes and ladder up safety products. While these might all seem odd for a business to require, through our experience we have seen why it is beneficial to have all these things just in case.

My business set up a little kitchen in the schoolhouse so we can have all our lunches, coffee and tea whenever we want. This does, however, come with some risks. Since the schoolhouse was built in the 1800s, it is not up to par in terms of fire safety. While we have put in fire-retardant instillation among other precautions, we still wish to make sure we can stop a fire if needed. We have two fire extinguishers in the kitchen just in case. While one fire extinguisher may be sufficient, we like to be careful. In our previous office we had problems with the stovetops and determined being prepared is always best.

We have also put two ladders on the outside that go to the roof. We have rebuilt the roof so it has a nice balcony on the back where my fellow coworkers and clients could enjoy coffee on the roof. It may not be the most traditional meeting room but in the summer I’m sure it will be a welcomed change of surroundings. In order for the balcony to be safe though, we needed an emergency exit so we installed two ladders on each side of the balcony. In order to make them safer I also got safety items along with ladder up safety posts. This will see to it my colleagues and clients can leave the structure securely if anything were to occur.

I then purchased us all vertical mailboxes for when most of us started receiving mail. Despite the fact that we are all part of the same business, numerous of my coworkers work one-on-one with our customers and I have seen it is best for the customer to mail to just there appointed colleague. It eliminates time and confusion invested attempting to determine what mail was sent to who and why. It also helps reinforce the business relationship between the coworker and the client, which I believe is very important.

While there is still much work to be done before the business can relocate into the schoolhouse. I am glad we had the ability to set up more secure ventilation, kitchen equipment and even a balcony. We were still able to keep much of the schoolhouse undamaged consisting of, the hardwood floors, the walls as well as the blackboard. I think it will add character to our business and will keep us memorable amongst many of our clients. It will also be much more comfortable than a stuffy office.