Vehicle Safety at Your Workshop

A Workshop with Parking Space

When you rent or purchase your workshop you should enquire as to parking facilities. Normally there will be parking spaces allocated for each workshop but make sure that they are listed in your contract so that problems do not occur once you have signed on the dotted line.

On-site Security

Is there a security guard or night watchman on duty in the area of your workshop? Is this part of the lease agreement? Will he be patrolling the car park attached to your workshop? Make sure that this information is put into the rental agreement and that there is in fact security people working on site.

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Getting Appropriate Insurance

Any vehicle owned by your business should have insurance registered to you business. When registering your vehicle you will have advised where the vehicle is kept at night and if it is garaged or secure. Breaching the insurance agreement could affect whether you are paid out if the vehicle is damaged or stolen so for this reason take your vehicle safety and security seriously. You must also make sure that any person driving your company vehicle is allowed to do so.

For tax reasons you have to keep a record of when the vehicle is used for work and when it is used for private use. You also need to keep a record of the mileage for each person using the vehicle. The vehicle should also be covered by insurance so that if it is off the road through accident or theft you have a replacement vehicle.

Making House Calls using a Company Vehicle

When making house calls with the company vehicle make sure it is locked securely and that any valuable stock left in the van is locked away and covered. A good quality alarm should also be fitted and used very time. Sending staff into dangerous neighbourhoods and at night should be avoided if at all possible. You would be jeopardising your staff’s safety and also putting company vehicles at risk of being stolen or damaged. For every day that your vehicle is off the road you will lose money.

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Customers and Visitors

It is likely that your workshop will be visited by customers and visitors. There must be a parking space for these visitors and that place must be a safe area to park. Put up a sign to let visitors know that you are not liable for the safety of their vehicles when they are parked on your property or in the adjoining area. A close circuit TV that overlooks the vehicle parking area would go some way to protecting the safety of vehicles and also people working outside normal office hours.

Keeping Records

Keep records of who drives the company vehicle and when as there may be times when the driver is accused of speeding or being part of an accident. It would be useful to know who used the vehicle, if it was for work or pleasure and when they returned it to the workshop. A simple log book when staff sign in and out of the building will suffice for this purpose.

The Next Step

Now that you have read through the advice above, you might want to put it into practice. Our Electrical Business Startup Cost Calculator lets you work out what it really costs to set up as an electrician: tools, van, test equipment, certification, insurance and registration, so you know how much you need to start. Try it now →