Tag: slips

Lawncare and Landscaping Risk

4 Risks all Lawncare and Landscaping Businesses Face

When looking to purchase commercial insurance, a business owner will hear a lot about the different types of Lawncare and Landscaping Risk their business faces. Many of the risks your business faces are similar to businesses in many industries, but many risks are unique to this industry. Here are four types of lawncare and landscaping risk that all businesses in this industry face.

Lawncare and Landscaping Risk

Slips, Trips, and Falls

Slips, Trips, and Falls are a risk that many businesses face. The Lawncare and Landscaping Risk is high in relation to slips, trips, and falls. Because of the physical nature of the work, lower back injuries are common. Talking about the health and safety with your staff is the first step to any good workplace safety plan. Let your employees know you care about their health and they will be more likely to take it seriously.

Driving

Because of the remote nature of the industry, driving is a part of the work. The time that employees are driving to and from a third party location is a time when the business is liable for damages that occur as a result of a car accident that is the fault of a businesses employees. It is essential to secure adequate commercial auto insurance, to pull the driving records of anyone who will be driving as part of their job, and to implement a safe driving program into the fabric of your business.

Third Party Liability

Liability to third parties is high because of the remote nature of the Lawncare and Landscaping Industry. Third party liability can come in the form of property damage, bodily injury and even dissatisfaction with your work. This type of liability can include damage to the property you are working on, injury to the people at those locations, or even not performing the tasks to the standards of your new clients. Doing a walk-through with all potential clients is important to set expectations, but also to get to know the ins and outs of the property that may not be obvious to the untrained eye.

Seasonality

Depending upon the weather in the area your business operates, there will be peaks and valleys when it comes to the seasonality of your business. Even if your business offers snow removal services in Winter, there will be some amount of time throughout the year when the amount of work declines. It is important to plan for these time periods and to use them wisely. Keeping up an adequate amount of hours for your staff may be the difference between keeping a valued employee and having to train a new fresh employee without adequate experience.

Slips, Trips, and Falls on Ice

Tips to prevent you, your family, and your employees from slips,trips,and falls on ice this Winter

During the Winter Months, there is an increased risk of slips, trips, and falls on ice due to the Winter Weather. This can cause injury to you in your personal life around your house and in your business life with your employees. There are several steps you and your business can take to limit the risk of injury during the Winter Months.

During a Winter Storm it is important to get ahead to prevent slips, trips and falls on ice.

Be aware of your surroundings

Paying attention to the surface you are walking on can go a long way towards preventing slips, trips, and falls on ice.

Select appropriate footwear

This goes for men and women both. In the Winter, especially when a snow or ice storm hits, is not the best time to wear footwear that is not suitable to slippery conditions. In most all scenarios, the people you are interacting with are dealing with the same conditions as you and will understand if the footwear you are wearing is not your Sunday best.

Get an earlier start to your destination

The only way to prevent slipping on ice is to go slow. This goes for walking around your house as well as out in your vehicle. The best way to get to your destination safely is to give yourself adequate time to take the proper precautions due to the weather.

Keeping the proper equipment around can help you prevent slips, trips, and falls on ice.

Keep Proper Equipment around to deal with Snow and Ice

Buying a good shovel is only the beginning of dealing with Winter Weather. Storing the proper type of salt for the sidewalks can prevent slips, trips, and falls on ice. There are specific rakes that can help you remove snow and ice from the roof of your property. Depending upon the area in which you live, you may need some or all of these pieces of equipment.

Be extremely careful getting out of your vehicle

Getting out of your vehicle is the one time when you are moving from a controlled environment into inclement weather. It may take a few steps for you to get accustomed to just how bad the conditions are. Use extra caution at these moments to ensure you arrive at your destination safely.

Don’t take shortcuts

It is important to always use sidewalks, the cleared paths and other designated walking areas on the streets and in parking lots when the weather is treacherous.

Watch for slippery floors when entering buildings

Once you have made it to your destination, it is still important to keep aware of your surrounding. Many people clean off their shoes as soon as they get in to the building. It is common for this area to become wet and cause additional slipping hazards.

 

 

Slips, Trips, and Falls on ice can be treacherous during the Winter Months.