Storefront Startups: How to Optimize Safety for Your Customers

Lizzie Weakley

July 24, 2018

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When you start a business, customer safety needs to be among your top priorities. This means keeping them safe from wet floors, cracked pavement or the dangers of poor lighting. Let’s take a look at how you can keep your patrons safe and build a brand that people will come to trust over the long haul.

Keep Your Store and Parking Areas Well Lit

Proper lighting inside of your store reduces the odds that a person will fail to notice an item on the ground in an aisle or near the cash register. Proper lighting in the parking lot reduces the odds of a person being the victim of an assault or robbery. Lights can also be used as a signal to employees that a customer needs assistance.

Make Sure Outdoor Areas Are Smooth and Level

Ideally, your parking lot will be paved on regular basis to remove potholes that can damage cars or cause a person to trip. A commercial paving company may be able to offer special pricing for routine service or to repair any imperfections that may arise. Furthermore, be sure to keep parking areas and sidewalks salted or covered with rugs during times of wet or icy weather.

Carpets Should Lay Flat on the Floor

Carpets are generally used to cover wet floors during times of rain or snow. While they can keep floors clean and reduce the odds that a person slips, carpets can be hazardous if allowed to bunch up. An employee should be available to check on them often to ensure that they aren’t creating a tripping hazard for those inside of the store.

Keep Merchandise at Eye Level

By keeping items at eye level with the customer, they are more likely to notice and want to purchase them. However, it can also prevent cans or boxes from falling and hitting a person on the head. While being hit by a can of pea soup may not sound like a big deal, a minor blow to that part of the body could lead to significant health issues. If the store is liable for the injury, they will be required to pay those and other expenses incurred because of the accident.

As a business owner, you need to identify every hazard or potential hazard that a customer could face while in your establishment. From there, you need to mitigate as many of these hazards as possible. Doing so can both keep people safe while helping the company avoid costly liability claims.