Ways to Prevent Bodily Injury and Property Damage
As a business owner, taking measures to maintain safety for both your patrons and your employees is important. Despite putting forth best efforts on safety, accidents do occur. Being prepared for bodily injury and property damage accidents is imperative. One of the most common accidents is slip and fall, but there are a multitude of liability-related incidents that can happen. To mitigate those risks with your business, use these tips!
Do Consistent Checks
Do your best to regularly check up on your property. Assess potential risks and take steps to respond to those before they become a bigger hazard. Safety checks should take place at regular intervals (weekly, monthly, etc.). One good way to ensure everything is up to standard is to have schedule where your employees inspect areas that could turn into risks if not maintained.
Maintain Equipment
Maintaining the tools you use for your business can prevent incidents from occurring. For more complicated pieces of equipment, you may want to get a professional to come in and service them. Keeping your tools and equipment in good working order is an easy way to help. If you get professional inspections, keep a receipt of those! They may come in handy if someone files a claim against you.
Clean Up During Bad Weather
Bad weather can cause hazardous conditions. If there is rain, make sure that your floors are dry. Or, if it snowed, make sure that walkways and driveways are cleared. Ice can cause slips and falls too, so be mindful to salt potential slippery areas.
Post Appropriate Signage
If there are hazards that cannot be fixed right away, put up hazard signs to warn employees and customers. A warning sign can alert people to the danger and help prevent and accident from happening. A simple “caution: slippery when wet” sign can prevent a fall.
Use Waivers When Needed
Depending on the nature of your business and the activities that your customers are engaging in, it may be beneficial to have them sign a waiver. If you are doing this, make sure to consult your state laws to ensure that you are in compliance. Consider consulting a lawyer if you are worried about the legal implications of waivers.
Install Cameras For Monitoring
You can’t have eyes everywhere. Installing monitoring cameras can help you keep an eye on your business, even when you aren’t physically in that area. Having cameras can also be useful for documentation if you have a bodily injury or property damage claim on your hands.
Get Insurance
As a small business owner, it’s imperative to have insurance. Sometimes it is impossible to prevent accidents from happening. Insurance is there to help protect you financially. Having coverages like general liability, property, and workers comp can help ensure that the people who interact with your business are safe. Talk to your insurance agent to see what coverages you should consider getting for your business. They can help you assess your needs and recommend ways to help mitigate risk.
Learn more about insurance for small businesses here!
Hopefully, everything is smooth sailing. But if bodily injury or property damage does occur, you will be prepared to tackle it!
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