When running a business, it’s natural to think of all expenses as some form of investment. Especially in the currently highly competitive economic climate, it’s imperative that anything you spend money on is well worth the cost.
When it comes to safety, this view can sometimes become a little problematic. As the success of most safety-related measures is defined by their ability to prevent said issue, it can be difficult at times to see what all the fuss is about. If you’re wondering whether or not you need a water safety plan, here’s why it is most definitely a smart investment.
Water Safety Plan
In order to understand why it’s a smart investment, we need to understand what Water Safety Plans actually consist of. Water Safety Plans, or WSPs for short, are loosely defined under BS8680. They need to consist of a clear plan of action, with well-thought-out arrangements in place to ensure the water systems in a business’s premises are safely managed.
As a result of their fairly broad focus, a Water Safety Plan will typically consist of multiple different components. This might include environmental monitoring, ongoing risk assessments, and the assignment of responsibility, all while considering the relevant regulatory requirements.
Because environmental risk factors will always be different in different businesses, no two risk assessments will be identical. You can’t just take the same format and use it in every scenario – you’ll likely need to use an external water safety specialist to help you develop a water safety plan that caters to your business in particular.
Why is a Water Safety Plan a smart investment?
There are a few main reasons why you should invest in a WSP.
Legal necessity
It’s important to note that from a legal perspective, a Water Safety plan isn’t optional. All businesses have a legal duty to provide their employees and, in some cases, their customers with reliable access to safe drinking water. This is generally impossible to ensure without having an in-depth water safety plan in place.
Managing your brand image
The implications of a water-related disease outbreak extend beyond legal repercussions. In certain cases, it can be absolutely disastrous for your brand, having a significant negative impact on how customers perceive your product or service. If a Water Safety Plan can play a role in avoiding scenarios such as that, then it’s well worth the investment.
Reducing turnover rate
In the current economic climate, the last thing that businesses want is a high turnover rate. Hiring is a notoriously costly process to go through and can cause a significant hit to a business’s ability to turn a profit. A Water Safety Plan can play a key role in maintaining a safe and respectable workplace, minimising the probability that employees will leave to look for employment elsewhere.
This should have cleared up just how important a Water Safety Plan is for most businesses. It’s important to get help from an experienced water hygiene specialist when creating your plan, to ensure that it’s both legally compliant and practically effective.
