If you want your business to run smoothly, then one of the most important things is to make sure that you provide a safe and productive workplace for your team, equipment, and resources to reside in. A safe workplace comes in many flavours, and a lot of the time we focus on how likely the team is to have accidents or injuries. However, you should also look at the integrity of the building and how it responds to the elements. Here are a few ways to make sure that your building and, as a result, your business are protected from those elements.

The ground it stands on

The foundation of the building is going to be the most critical aspect of its long-term health. If you’re buying or renting any building, have a look at the foundation and see whether it’s able to withstand the shifts in the earth that happen over the years. If you’re planning to build your own, then you should make sure that you have the soil tested to see that it’s able to support the building. There are, of course, ways to build a foundation that is better protected against shifting in the earth, but this has to be done before the building is raised. It can’t be done after so you have to ask this question well ahead of time.

Rain, moisture, and humidity

You don’t want a wet building. That much should be clear. Aside from affecting the air quality and spreading issues like mould, if you’re not able to prevent moisture and water from overtaking your building, it will begin to damage and wear away at the very materials that keep it standing. As such, during the construction process, you should make sure you get a good idea of what waterproofing supplies are going to help you keep the building dry. Of course, even after keeping out the rain, you need to look at options such as ventilation that are going to manage the humidity and the air quality inside, as well, to prevent the slow damage that moisture can do, too.

Bracing for the cold

If you want to see your work environment stress-tested, then just wait for winter to come along. The cold, the snow, and the ice that it can bring with it can become severely challenging and truly dangerous. For one, you have to ensure that you’re investing in strong heating infrastructure for the workplace to make sure that your team can stay comfortable during the coldest months of the year. However, you should also look at the services you can invest in to keep the exterior of the building safe from cold weather hazards, as well. This can include salting and gritting the snow and ice to prevent slips, trips, and falls.

Many of the decisions that protect your workspace from the elements have to be made from the beginning when it’s built, or you have to invest in rebuilding to implement them. As such, it’s important to keep them in mind early when possible.