With winter fast approaching it’s important that employers and property owners take reasonable precautions to protect themselves, their businesses and their employees from effects of the weather.
Storm Damage
- High winds and rain can cause damage to properties.
- Flying debris can also cause damage to properties as well as people caught out in the storm.
- The damage can be far worse if buildings are already in a poor state of maintenance.
- You should ensure your property maintenance schedule is up to date.
Thoughts for employers
- Employees and members of the public suffer a steep increase in slipping incidents during snowy and icy weather. How can you reduce this risk and keep them safe?
- Every year employers experience a variety of concerns because of over-enthusiastic festive spirit; from decorations obstructing sprinkler systems to staff misconduct. There’s no reason to ban decorations or parties, but are you putting sensible precautions in place?
Flood Risk
- Have you considered the flood risk of your premises and have you taken the necessary precautions to prevent your property from being flooded, prevent damage if the property is flooded and recover from a flood should the worst happen?
- Take a look at our feature on flooding from earlier in the year.
Driving to Work
- Road traffic incidents increase up to tenfold during the winter months. this not only increases the risk of one of your drivers being involved in an incident, but also the unintended risk your drivers may post to pedestrians and third parties.
- Have you got the necessary checks and controls in place to minimise the risk?
- Do your drivers know what to do to minimise the risks of winter breakdowns?
If you’ve got any questions, don’t hesitate to talk to your broker.
Sources: Gpmg (picture), Aviva