RISK MANAGEMENT:
It is important to look at snow removal and deicing services as “liability control.” Property owners are obligated to provide “reasonable care” in providing a safe working environment for your clients and employees. Liability control will give you the upper hand in defending lawsuits and will give you the opportunity to decrease insurance costs associated with your facilities snow removal services.
Slip and fall injuries are extremely common in and around facilities.
- According to the US department of labor the cost for a slip or trip and fall is $28,000.00 in medical expenses.
- The national safety council estimates that approximately 8.9 trips are made to emergency rooms annually from slips, trips and falls.
- Secondly, they report that slip and trip falls resulted 25,000 deaths in 2009 and is listed as the second leading cause of accidental death.
- Slip and falls can lead to increased insurance premiums or cancellations of policies. Slip and falls can result lost sales and damage to the stores bottom line. Slip and falls can also lead to the loss of key employees during critical industry time frames.
It is important to look for companies which have Risk Management plans in place to help protect your brand during the winter season. You want a company that is large enough to have in house insurance advisers to handle claims if they arise. It is important to tender the claim to the appropriate parties the first time.
It is also very important when utilizing a national firm that contracts to local vendors that they have and a vendor approval process are very strict. Your partners should have their insurance teams review the certificates of insurance, insurance limits, endorsements, and policy exemptions of their third tier contractors. By doing this, you will be ensure that all partners up and down the board have all the coverage needed to defend you.