Keeping car parks safe for staff

Companies have a duty of care for their employees which also includes car parks. According to the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 the owners or contractors of car parks have a responsibility to ensure car parks are safe. This covers both vehicles and people.

Carrying out a full risk assessment is the obvious first step to understand the potential hazards and identify methods of reducing the risks. There are different types of car parks, inside/outside, one level, multi-storey and underground, and all will have their own dangers and risks.

How is the car park accessed from the road and how is the workplace accessed from the car park? Gates or barriers, along with staff access codes or fobs can help prevent unauthorised parking and enable the employer to keep track of who is parking and when. Access if directly into a building from the car park should also be through locked doors to maintain employee safety inside the workplace.

Lighting in car parks is essential, particularly in winter months. Any pedestrian walkways should also be well lit to ensure staff feel safer when entering and leaving work.

CCTV cameras can help to prevent criminal activity, if they are clearly visible and signposted any opportunistic thieves or vandals will think twice before causing any damage. CCTV can also be monitored remotely by a professional security company who can send a response service out or contact the police if necessary.

Many larger organisations will have professional security guards working in their car parks. They can be responsible for controlling access, patrolling the car parks, monitoring CCTV and checking for unauthorised parking.

Communication with staff is also important. Employers should keep them aware of security measures, who they can contact if they have problems or are worried and what their personal responsibilities.

If you would like to find out how Leisuresec can help keep your car parks safe please get in touch today