5 Health & Safety Rules For Every Reception Area

Your reception area needs to be kept clean, tidy, and free of clutter. Of course, this goes for your office too, but when visitors are entering your building and the first thing they see is the reception, it’s even more vital that this space is visually pleasing and free of any type of hazard. 

The last thing you want is a visitor walking into your reception and slipping on a wet floor. Not only will the be hurt, but they’re also going to remember that injury in relation to your business - not the best start and certainly not a great way to maintain custom. 

Businesses have a responsibility under the Health & Safety at Work Act to ensure the health and safety of not only employees but also visitors, as far as is reasonably possible. That means you need to be mindful of anything which could pose a hazard or anything which could be deemed unsafe, unclean, or downright unhygienic. 

In the COVID era, it’s even more important than ever before to be mindful of those who are walking in and out of your space. Make sure that you have a dispenser of hand sanitiser available as people walk through the door and have smaller pump or spray bottles dotted around. You should also make sure that everyone wears a mask and that your receptionist has a plastic screen up, to protect your staff during their working day. 

Aside from COVID however, there are some other things you need to be mindful of when ensuring the health and safety of your reception space. For a few ideas on how to maintain a reception area, before we delve into 5 specifics, check out this video. 

The advice in the video might be specific to an office itself but the same goes for your reception area. Let’s now look at 5 rules you need to bear in mind above all else. 

1. Always use a wet floor sign - If it’s raining, snowing, or there is a tiny amount of water on the floor from mopping make sure you put a ‘wet floor’ sign down in a very visible and direct place. 
2. Clean up any spillage immediately - You don’t only have to be mindful of wet floors, but wet surfaces in general. This looks unsightly and it’s also pretty unhygienic. If you have glass tables or other types of office furniture that can easily stain, make sure you clean over them regularly. 
3. Arrange your reception seating away from the door - You don’t want someone walking in the door and accidentally bumping into a sofa or set of chairs because they’re placed in a very awkward position. Make sure you’re not creating a hazard when thinking about office reception design. 
4. Empty bins at least twice a day - Overflowing bins of any kind are unhygienic and they’re also a fire hazard. They also look pretty unsightly. Empty them regularly! 
5. If you’re serving hot drinks, be careful of how the hot water is dispensed - Don’t place your drinks machine too far away from the reception seating as that means people have too far to walk with a hot cup. Also, make sure that however you dispense the hot water, it doesn’t spurt out or run any risk of burning the person using it. 

Health and safety isn’t something you only need to think about in the open plan office, it extends to every single part of your building.