Compliance, Insurance, Health & Safety
Not the glamorous part — the part that prevents real problems. Treat certificates of insurance (COIs), life safety, and emergency basics as opening requirements.
Compliance, Insurance, Health & Safety
What this is
The insurance, safety, and approval basics that keep people safe and the opening legitimate: vendor certificates of insurance (COIs), fire and life safety, emergency procedures, evacuation routes, first aid, accessibility, and required inspections.
Why it matters
This isn’t the exciting part, but it prevents real problems — the kind that stop a move or put people at risk. Treat safety, insurance, and access approvals as opening basics, not paperwork to chase later.
Who owns it
The workplace lead, often with HR/People, legal, and the property manager.
First 48-hour questions
- What COIs are required, and with what additional-insured language?
- Are permits, fire/life-safety checks, inspections, or occupancy approvals needed?
- Are evacuation routes, emergency contacts, first aid, and hazard reporting ready?
What to confirm / set up
- Vendor COIs with the right additional insured language (coordinate with Property Manager & Building Rules).
- Fire/life-safety items, evacuation routes, and posted emergency contacts.
- First-aid supplies, ADA/accessibility issues, and a hazard/incident reporting process.
- Whether any work requires inspection or sign-off.
- A final readiness walk before opening — with photos.
Opening-critical vs. can-wait
Opening-critical: valid COIs, working life-safety systems, clear evacuation routes, and a final safety walk. Can wait: the polished emergency-procedures handbook and formal training program — get the basics posted and known for day one, then build out.
Common misses
- Vendor COIs are missing or wrong, blocking access at the worst moment.
- Fire/life-safety items are overlooked in the rush to open.
- Employees don’t know emergency procedures.
- No final safety walkthrough before people arrive.
From open to great
Opening safely means meeting the legal minimum. Great means the office genuinely welcomes everyone:
- Treat accessibility and inclusion as a greatness pillar, not a box to check — design past the minimum for real ease of use.
- Quiet and wellness space, clear wayfinding — these help everyone, not only the people they’re “for.”
- A space that feels safe and considered signals respect, which is part of feeling great to work in.
Get the structural pieces right early: some accessibility fixes are built-in, not bolted-on — expensive to retrofit. See Aim to Open Great.
Tools for this workstream
- Opening Readiness Checklist — includes the final walk.
- Property Manager Intake Questions — COI and approval requirements.
- Open-Item Tracker — track COIs and inspections.