Office Safety

It is imperative that everyone in your office takes a personal interest in keeping the workplace safe for all. Paying attention to the little things will assist in safeguarding your office from potential thieves. Women are particularly vulnerable, but with some common sense precautions, the potential of you becoming a victim can be measurably reduced. Criminals will look for targets of opportunity. Handbags left in the open on desks or common areas are inviting and easy marks for the skilled thief. Purses should be locked away in a desk drawer, locker or file cabinet. Often, the best way to deter the thief is to simply remove the temptation. All staff members should be encouraged to challenge everyone coming into the office. This does not have to be confrontational. A simple, “Hello, how may I help you?” will usually suffice. This does not give the individual a chance to say no. A decisive response is required. People who have legitimate business in your building or office will be very forthcoming with their response. People who are there for dishonest reasons will be taken aback and start to reach for a reasonable response. Many offices have a “No Solicitors” policy. Each person should take it upon themselves to assist in the enforcement of this policy. This can be done simply by advising a solicitor of the policy and then passing the information on to the management of the building. Eliminating the “door-to-door” types significantly lowers the possibility of transient thieves mixing in with people who have legitimate business at your office. Further, if any of these undesirables are “scoping” your business for a robbery, by challenging them and reporting them, you have effectively eliminated them from casing your neighbour’s business and shown them that they will be challenged if they are on the premises for unacceptable reasons. Another safety concern comes into play when staff members are working late. Too often people will leave their office unlocked as they go to the washroom. This practice allows a thief free access into an office, perhaps to steal something very quickly, or perhaps to wait until the unsuspecting employee returns to the office to become victim of a very different type of crime. Unless there is a good reason not to, lock all doors after hours to eliminate the potential of being a victim. If you are working alone after hours, what possible benefit can accrue to you or your business by leaving the doors open or unlocked? The answer, quite simply, is that there aren’t any. Anyone in your office who belongs there should have their own key anyway. This means that by leaving the doors unlocked you are doing so for the benefit of the crook and this is certainly not a good reason. Common sense is the key. If you leave your doors or windows unlocked and trust everybody or assume that security is someone else’s role, then your chances of becoming a victim of crime increase immeasurably. Further, if you do not take an active role in prevention, your blind eye could cause your neighbour to sustain a loss. It is important that we all take an active role in protecting ourselves, our families, our homes, and our businesses. An active role may mean ensuring that you have adequate locking mechanisms on your doors and windows or it may mean looking into an alarm system for your home or business. Whatever the level of security that you decide to implement, it is important that you feel comfortable with it. Just remember that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. There are a number of ways to deter thieves from targeting your business. Call your local security professional at ProSafe

Security for a consultation on how we can help. Your peace of mind is our goal.