StatenIslandChamber

Business Tip of the Week: Safety in the Workplace

If you aren't careful, New York City can be a dangerous place to live and work. Fear not! With these tips, you'll learn how to create a safe environment for you and your coworkers!

Look Out For Strangers: Criminals known as "office creepers" can come in disguised as coworkers or builiding service personnel hoping to blend into a busy office building.

What to do...

• Become familiar with your coworkers so you can easily spot a strange face.
• If you see someone roaming the halls or walking around, ask if you can help him/her.
• If your building has an access control policy where visitors must wear a badge, alert security if someone is not wearing one.
• Notify security if you see someone suspicious. Make sure to describe their appearance and other details about her/him.

Safeguard Your Space: Don't let office creepers come near your personal belongings.

What to do...

• Never share keys or access codes with anyone.
• Put your personal keys and office keys on separate rings.
• An office creeper looks into unlocked cabinet drawers and under desks first! Don't hide your wallets or purses here.
• Position coat racks and hangers away from doorways so it is not easy to snatch items from the outside.
• When it's time to go, lock the office door and mute the telephone ringer. An unanswered phone is a thief's signal to an empty office.
• Purchase a security cable for your laptop so it cannot be removed from the desk.
• Keep an accurate inventory of all office equipment, furniture and devices in a locked, fireproof cabinet or off site.
• Use non-removable tags or an inexpensive engraving pen to mark all of your personal electronics.