Is Your Shop Safe?

General work area safety checklist

Accidents and mishaps can cause major problems for any business, including florists. Customers can be lost, needed employees put out of commission, and profits lowered - even to the point where they no longer exist. How can all this be avoided? It's been proven time and again, a good offense is the best defense.

Why not use the checklist found here to perform a self-inspection of your shop? The questions printed here are limited to the areas of fire protection, walkways, general work environment, and environmental controls. The list doesn't detail every problem you may find during your self-inspection. But the questions illustrate the basic requirements of OSHA standards governing safe work conditions, safe work practices, and personal protective equipment.

However, what you learn from this checklist could help you save not only money but, in extreme cases, your entire business.

 Fire Protection

• Are portable fire extinguishers provided in adequate number and type?
• Are fire extinguishers mounted where they can be seen and readily accessible?
• Are fire extinguishers recharged regularly with those dates noted on the inspection tag?
• Are employees periodically instructed in the use of extinguishers and fire protection procedures?
• Is your local fire department well acquainted with your facilities, its location, and any specific hazards?

 General Work Environment

• Are all workplaces and storage areas clean and orderly?
• Are work surfaces kept dry? If not, have some measures been taken to make wet surfaces slip-resistant?
• Are spilled materials, especially liquids, cleaned up as quickly as possible?
• Is combustible scrap, debris and waste stored safely and removed from the workplace promptly?
• Are all work areas well lit, making everyone's work easy to see?

 Walkways

• Are aisles and passageways kept clear?
• Are wet surfaces clearly marked and covered with non-slip materials?
• Are holes in the floor, sidewalk or other walking surface repaired properly, covered or otherwise made safe?
• Are changes of direction or elevations clearly marked and readily identifiable?
• Are standard guardrails provided where walkways are elevated more than 48 inches above the floor?
• Are bridges provided over conveyors and similar floor or walkway hazards?
• Are grates or similar type covers over floor openings (such as drains) designed to protect against the possibility of tripping or falling?

 Environmental Controls

• Are all work areas properly illuminated?
• Are hazardous substances identified as items that may cause harm if inhaled or swallowed?
• Are employees aware of the hazards involved with the various chemicals they may be exposed to in their workstations and general working environment?
• Is personal protective equipment provided, its use required, and maintained wherever necessary?
• Are there written standard operating procedures for the selection and use of respirators, where needed?
• Are restrooms and washrooms kept clean and sanitary?
• Are all outlets for water that isn't suitable for drinking clearly identified as undrinkable?
• Are employees instructed in the proper manner of lifting heavy objects?