Advice For Managing A Factory Floor & Office Space Within The Same Building

It’s easy to think of business premises as being “one or the other” in terms of utility, but the truth is that a building or wider campus can be outfitted for many different purposes. A military base, for example, can also sport a wide residential community where many families of enlisted or commissioned personnel grow and develop over time.

It’s also important to note that in the commercial space, businesses can be as multi-faceted as possible. A museum might have its own studio space for content production, while a factory might also host its entire division of office departments within that space.

This last point requires careful management. Even if you use the best CNC machining service and have outfitted the space with all the utilities needed, making sure both disciplines aren’t impacting the other is good floor and personnel management. In this post, we’ll discuss some tips to make sure safety and working capability is assured.

Manage Noise Pollution

Factory workers need ear protection for the most part. Machines whirring and buzzing all day long, alarms blaring, and people shouting to be heard over one another is common, and that’s in the well-managed factories! Meanwhile, your office staff are trying to focus on spreadsheets and client calls remotely. It’s note exactly a perfect fit, and in old buildings that emphasis can be even more obvious.

So, what can you do? To begin, you might consider soundproofing your office areas. This doesn't have to mean paying tens of thousands to do so as even some well-placed acoustic panels can help reduce vibrational travel.

But it's not all about blocking out the noise. You can also work on reducing it at the source. Are there any particularly noisy machines that could be moved further away from the office areas? Could you schedule the noisiest operations for times when the office is less busy? Check out the sound levels and survey your staff to see if they’re able to work well even during peak times. And of course, on the off-chance the office is louder than the factory, well, that’s a problem you’re likely well aware of anyway.

Manage Entrances & Exits

When you've got a mix of office workers and factory staff, planning the flow of people becomes highly important for safety reasons. You don't want your accountant accidentally wandering into a restricted area without safety equipment, or your machine operators stumbling through quiet office spaces with dirty gloves and dusty trousers.

Separate entrances and exits for different areas of your premises can be helpful, especially if you’re welcoming visitors. This isn't about creating a divide between your workers - it's about ensuring everyone can get to where they need to be efficiently and safely, and that gateway doors are properly labelled as such.

Clear signage is your friend here. Make sure everyone knows which areas they should and shouldn't be in. You might even want to consider colour-coding different zones for easy reference so no one triggers an alarm going from point A to B.

However, remember emergencies and evacuations above everything else. Your exit strategy needs to account for both office and factory areas and quick escape when needed. Make sure everyone knows the quickest and safest way out, no matter where they are in the building. You can achieve this with:

Enhanced Fire Safety Drills

Fire safety is always important of course, but it takes on a whole new level of planning when you're dealing with both office and factory spaces. Here you’ll have different types of fire risks, different types of equipment, and different evacuation needs to consider. Statistically, a factory is more likely to cause a fire than an office block, but both can affect one another.

Regular fire drills are a must then, but make sure they account for the unique layout of your premises as we mentioned above. Office workers need to know how to safely exit if there's an incident on the factory floor, and vice versa. Maybe the main factory entrance is blocked - where should workers go then?

In some larger firms, appointing fire safety professionals for different areas of the building is very important. These staff can help guide others to safety in an emergency and ensure no one's left behind, but make sure they’re trained and qualified to do so.

Of course, fire suppression systems also matter here. What works for your office space might not be suitable for your factory area - or sprinklers watering your computer terminals is hardly a safe option. As such, you might need different types of fire extinguishers or sprinkler systems in different parts of your building. Some like pre-action systems can use other means of addressing a fire without water, or have high criteria to meet before water is released.

Approved Sign Ins

When you've got a mixed-use space, keeping track of who's where becomes even more important. A robust sign-in system isn't just about security but keeping everyone safe in the building. For example, what if a factory worker comes in through the office that morning and doesn’t key into the building correctly, registering their presence as necessary? Well, if you need to evacuate, you might wonder where the person is and dedicate fire resources to finding them.

A good alternative is a digital sign-in system that logs not just when people arrive and leave, but also which areas of the building they're accessing. This can be amazing in an emergency, helping you quickly account for everyone.

Consider Traffic & Trucks

Last but not least, let's talk about what's happening outside your building. If you've got a factory, chances are you've got trucks coming and going to your loading bay carrying heavy raw materials. In an unmanaged car park, that kind of activity might not be so safe if most of your office staff drive small city hatchbacks. Your office staff also need somewhere to park their cars.

Think about how you can manage this traffic flow safely. Can you set up separate entrances for trucks and cars? Maybe designate specific times for deliveries? Loading gates to let traffick in and out? A good plan here could work wonders.

With this advice, you’re certain to manage a factory floor with competence and confidence, even if it’s attached to an office space (and vice versa).

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