Painting your office or commercial space can be a major undertaking, and your top priority should be the safety of employees and customers. Before hiring a commercial painter for your Lawrence KS business, it’s important to do your research, read reviews, and speak to the contractors about their process. By vetting your painting contractors before you hire them, you can feel confident in their ability to provide high-quality work while upholding the proper safety standards.
Although you should trust your contractors, you still need to play an active role in taking safety precautions. You have a responsibility to keep your commercial location safe and working alongside your painters is the best way to prevent accidents.
You also have more power over the space than your contractors, so you can make critical safety decisions that may be outside of their control. For example, you could redirect traffic around the area being painted or place warning signs around your office.
There are plenty of reasons for you to partner with your painters when it comes to safety precautions. Here are five benefits of taking safety seriously during your commercial painting project:
1. Ensures the Health and Safety of Your Employees
The most important reason to take safety seriously is for the sake of your team, your customers, and your painting crew. You don’t want to put anyone at risk during or after the painting project, and you can greatly reduce the chances of an accident with some simple safety measures.
One of the biggest risks during commercial painting is a slip and fall accident. Your painters should have protective equipment to keep them from slipping, but your employees and customers don’t. You can prevent an accident by temporarily rerouting foot traffic around the space that’s being painted. By reducing traffic in the area, you create a better working environment for your painters, too.
The other major issue to be aware of is poor ventilation. If the area has great circulation, you shouldn’t have a problem. However, lingering paint fumes can lead to headaches, eye irritation, respiratory problems, and other uncomfortable symptoms. To reduce the risk to your employees and customers, you can turn on fans, open windows, or replace old air filters.
2. Prevents the Hassle of a Safety Incident
Accidents and injuries are stressful for a number of reasons. Most importantly, you care about the well-being of your team, and you don’t want to see anyone get hurt. There are other consequences to workplace accidents, too.
If your painting contractor gets hurt on the job, the painting company will most likely handle the issue. However, if one of your employees is injured, you’ll be responsible for the paperwork. Documenting a safety incident is a tedious, time-consuming process. You may have to handle a workers’ compensation claim or speak with insurance companies.
Even for small accidents, the fallout can last for months. By taking the time at the beginning of the painting project to put safety measures in place, you can save yourself countless hours of work dealing with the aftermath of a workplace injury.
3. Boosts Employee Morale and Satisfaction
The workplace environment has a big impact on your employees’ job satisfaction and motivation. If you start a painting project without making an effort to accommodate for your team, they’ll notice the lack of consideration. They may feel frustrated that their workflow has been interrupted by the project or stressed because of the safety concerns. Then, you might see a decrease in productivity, issues with communication, or more absenteeism than usual.
On the other hand, keeping your employees’ safety at the forefront of your mind during the painting project can boost morale. Your team will appreciate that you’re trying to make the renovations as easy as possible for them, and they’ll be more willing to make adjustments for the duration of the painting job.
4. Protects Your Brand Image
If your commercial location hosts customers or clients, adhering to safety protocols can be great for your public image. The goal of the painting project is to make the space look brighter, newer, and more inviting. This can improve customer loyalty and expand your client base.
Safety problems during the project can have the opposite effect, though. If your customers see a hazardous setup or feel unsafe in the space, word will get around. To ensure that your business has a positive image both during and after the painting job, you should keep customers away from the areas under constructions and put up signs informing them of the situation.
5. Reduces Disruptions
If you only need a small area painted, your contractors may be able to complete the job over the weekend or during off-hours. A larger project will likely need to happen during business hours, though, which could interrupt certain tasks or routines.
Your commercial painting contractors can’t control your company’s workflow, but you have the authority to prepare in advance to minimize disruptions. In the days leading up to the project, you can create a plan for keeping your employees safe while still allowing them to complete their normal responsibilities. For example, you and your team could move equipment out of the way before your contractors arrive.
This organized approach gives you and your employees extra time to plan and accommodate for interruptions during the painting project. Preparing the area beforehand can decrease the length of the project, too, which reduces the window of time in which accidents can happen. Absolute Painters specializes in commercial painting services for businesses across a wide variety of industries. Their team is committed to following safety protocols, and they are always happy to collaborate with business owners to create a safety plan for employees and customers. They use the newest equipment and techniques to ensure great results, and they’re fully licensed and insured. If you’re looking for a commercial painter in Lawrence KS, reach out to Absolute Painters today to discuss scheduling.