The way in which your workshop is organised can affect your workforce. If organised well, it will be tidy, free of tripping hazards, and allow staff to locate necessary tools with ease. While a badly organised workshop could lead to injury and slow down work.
To help, here is how you can optimise the layout of your business workshop, with the potential of benefitting employees and profits.
Clear it Out
To start, you must first clear out the workshop. Although this may seem somewhat counter intuitive and time consuming, it is impossible to organise properly with a full workshop. Clearing everything will allow you to sort through all tools and equipment, create a better storage system, and provide a blank canvas to get you started.
Paint it Up
While the workshop is empty, it is the ideal opportunity to paint. A workshop can be a dull, dark environment, but it does not need to be. As a workspace, you want to foster productivity and ensure your employees are happy. Adding a little colour can boost mood, such as blue to provide calm and clarity, green for efficiency, or yellow to increase creativity.
Light it Up
In a workshop, lighting is crucial. The correct level of lighting can have many benefits, including promoting faster work, reducing eye strain, and providing a better workshop environment. When it comes to lighting, consider energy efficient ceiling lights to reduce overheads. Also provide workbench lamps, to ensure staff are able to adjust levels for optimal lighting.
Add Adequate Storage
Storage in a workshop is key. This helps to ensure equipment can be put away safely, without being damaged, and keeps the workshop free of clutter. Invest in a variety of storage solutions for different items, including boards and hooks for hanging, as well as cupboards, shelves and drawers. Also think about fixed and portable storage like these from SGS, to allow your workforce to move around the workshop as required.
Install Work Surfaces
As the main area where employees work, benches and surfaces must be suitable and fit for purpose. Consider height adjustable workbenches for adaptability, make sure plugs are conveniently located and accessible, and ensure each station has its own storage. Also think about comfort and provide your staff with ergonomic seating.
When planning the layout of a workshop, it is important to think about safety, ensure there are clear walkways and provide enough storage. As such, use these tips to help boost productivity while creating a practical, functional and attractive workshop environment.
