 When you’re setting up a business, or moving into a new office, there are a dozens of things to sort out. Putting a sign up above the door is a moment that few small business owners forget – but what other information do you need to display to staff and customers? John Davies, Managing Director from custom signage, graphics and visual communication specialist, FASTSIGNS, has these tips to help you meet your legal requirements.
Get your name out there People need to know the location of your company, each of your registered addresses must have a sign with your company name on it unless it is also a place of residence. This sign should have clear characters that can be easily understood and visible at all times, not just during business hours. If you are sharing the site or building with more than six other companies, the company name has to be shown for at least 15 seconds every three minutes if it is not permanently displayed. Keeping your team safe and healthy The health and safety of your employees is of paramount importance; this means ensuring they are aware of potential risks and your obligations to them as employees. Whether you employ one person or a team, you must ensure the health and safety law poster is able to be viewed by everyone, either displayed on the wall or as a pocket card handed out to staff members. Employees need to know who to turn to in an emergency, so make sure you display a sign with a full list of first aiders’ names and indicates where the first aid kits are stored. To help your employees understand the level of insurance cover your business has, you’re required to either display or share The Employer’s Liability Insurance Certificate. Failure to do so and you could be liable for a £1,000 fine, so it’s essential that you get this right. Emergency evacuation Should a fire break out in the building, you’ll need to make sure people know where to go and where the fire fighting equipment is. Clear signage of fire action notices (preferably next to all fire alarms) should tell people who to call if they see a blaze, what escape routes to take and where the assembly point is once they have left the building. It’s also important to point out the location of each fire alarm. If your workplace is small and the fire escape route is ‘obvious’, such as the front door to a shop, then you won’t necessarily need fire escape signs. For larger and more complex buildings, you will need to make sure that the fire escape routes are clearly highlighted with directional and wayfinding signage. Alongside this, all fire doors should be labeled with instructions on how to use them. Assembly points, fire fighting equipment instructions, no smoking and warning signs should also be displayed throughout the building. Protecting people’s data Under the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), images that identify someone count as capturing personal data – which means you have to inform anyone on your premises about CCTV monitoring. Most businesses have legitimate reasons for using CCTV, such as security, but you’ll still need to be open and transparent. Make sure you have a sign that tells people why you are capturing their data, where they are being monitored, and the steps they can take to find out more information. For more details on FASTSIGNS and its full range of business services click here. Comments are closed.
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