Worker safety should be foremost on employers' minds, including after hours. The following simple suggestions will help make for a safer work-place.

• Make sure bushes or trees do not obstruct windows. A passing patrol-car driver should be able to see inside. Keep the window area lit from the inside after dark, even when your business is closed.
• Contain and dispose of trash properly so no one can use it to start a fire.
• Use exterior lighting bright enough that someone could recognize a face from as far as 50 feet away.
• Never leave ladders outside. Burglars can use them to climb to the roof or enter the building through a window.
• Use only solid or steel doors for exterior entries, and install deadbolts with at least a one-inch throw into the building frame. The hinges should be on the interior or be tam-per- resistant. Tamper-resistant hinges have a secondary pin that remains even if someone removes the first pin.
• Install burglar alarms with motion detectors and place video cameras by points of entry. Time-lapse VCRs record activities if there is a theft or burglary and can be helpful to law enforcement officials.
• Vary the time of day employees make bank deposits, and don't use a container identifying the name of the financial institution. If possible, have two employees go together to make nighttime deposits. Encourage them to trust their instincts if they feel something is not right about the surroundings. Or you may want to consider using a courier service to prevent employees from being exposed to danger.