Prevent Slips & Falls at Your Business This Winter

Your business may have already put up the holiday decorations, secured an extensive Business Insurance policy, started playing seasonal music, and offering holiday discounts to customers, but have you thought about the risk of customers or workers slipping and falling at your business this winter? Unfortunately, winter weather risks such as ice, snow, and other forms of precipitation can create potentially dangerous and slippery conditions, which, if left unaddressed, could put your employees and customers at risk. Additionally, a slip and fall could result in legal and even financial headaches for the company. You can, however, work to prevent these events by assessing your risk levels, winter-proofing your business, and taking vital safety precautions both inside and outside your store. Here are some of the top workplace winter safety tips your business may want to implement starting today.

Assess the Potentially Risky Areas of Your Business Premises

In order to keep your workers and customers safe, you may want to do a risk assessment of your business premises to identify areas that could be vulnerable to becoming slippery in bad weather. For instance, be sure to do thorough checks of your:

  • Tile floors
  • Sidewalks
  • Employee garages
  • Parking lot
  • Pipes in the ceiling and walls

Take Preventative Maintenance Steps and Stock Up on Winter Essentials

Maintaining your business on the inside and outside and taking preventative steps can make all the difference should winter weather hit unexpectedly. Make sure you keep your store well stocked on wintertime essentials such as:

  • Salt and treatment chemicals for the parking lot
  • Contact numbers for a local snow remover
  • Shovels and scrapers
  • Space heaters
  • Paper towels and mops

Act Quickly To Make Your Business Safe When Winter Weather Hits

Finally, it’s crucial to have an emergency plan ready for poor weather conditions. Act quickly when winter weather arrives and make sure you:

  • Mop up wet areas on the floor quickly and put up caution signs as needed
  • Clear melted snow or ice away from your business premises efficiently
  • Install mats throughout your store to prevent slips and give customers better traction
  • Keep a comprehensive first aid kit handy at your business at all times
  • Train your employees on what to do if a customer falls and injures themselves

Your company may have its holiday decorations up, its seasonal discounts in full force, and its comprehensive Business Insurance at the ready, but it’s still essential to take preparatory steps to avoid slips and falls at your business this winter. Wintertime conditions can often create slippery surfaces that may lead to employee or customer accidents, as well as subsequent financial and legal issues for your business. However, you can mitigate the risk of slips and falls by assessing the current state of your premises, stocking up on winter essentials, keeping your store well-maintained throughout the winter, and having an emergency plan for when winter weather hits.

About Haughn & Associates

Founded by Michael Haughn in 1986, Haughn & Associates is a full-service, family-owned, independent insurance agency based out of Dublin, Ohio. H&A strives to provide the best possible price and unique insurance solutions across a myriad of industries, including construction, IT, Habitation & Commercial Property, Agriculture, and Engineering. Devoted to providing the best of business insurance, life and disability insurance, personal insurance, employee benefits, and bonds, H&A is proof that success lies in long-standing client relations and satisfaction. To learn more about how H&A can be of service to you, contact us at (877) 802-2278.