If you own and operate a small business, you’ll want to take steps to prevent injuries at your business. Even though you are required to pay for liability insurance as a small business, any serious injury at your company can result in financial losses and stress which can threaten the very existence of your organization.
When it comes to Hollywood small businesses, injuries can happen to make stakeholders. You yourself may be injured or the injuries can impact employees, visitors, or your customers and clients. Even delivery persons can be injured when dropping off items at your office or establishment.
Here’s how you can keep everyone safer while reducing your risk of a Hollywood premises liability claim:
- Consider the risks of an at-home business: Many solopreneurs who work from home assume they don’t need to worry, but this is not the case. An injury to yourself in your own home can be devastating and can impact your revenue. In addition, if repair people drop by your home or if a delivery person drops off a package, they can still be injured and pursue a claim. Think about your risks, the way you would for any business outside your home.
- Find the right insurance: If you have even one eligible employee, you are required by Florida law to carry workers’ compensation coverage. You will also generally need to carry liability insurance and other forms of coverage. Work with a business consultant, your local chamber or commerce, or a broker to find the most robust coverage for you. Even with great insurance, through, remember you’ll want to take steps to prevent injury in the first place.
- Consider where dangers may come from: If you manager an office, injuries may be most likely from falls or repetitive stress. In any establishment offering food and drink, slip and fall injuries and food-borne illnesses may be the biggest peril. OSHA (the Occupational Safety and Health Administration) has a website with guidelines to help you identify the hazard.
- Invest in security: Make sure windows and doors lock correctly, all business premises are lit well, and invest in a strong security system. Depending on your business, you may also want to hire a former police officer or other professional for security on site. And don’t forget about online security. Invest in firewalls, strong malware protection, tech safety training, secure servers, and other protections to keep business and customer information safe.
- Have a written system for preventing injury: Create lists to ensure you run regular checks for any hazards and have a solid system in place to prevent injury. Your system should include employee workbooks and training, a set of checklists for ensuring safety at all times, and instruction manuals for any machinery in the workplace. If there are hazards in the business you cannot get rid of, post written signs to alert visitors and workers.
If you have suffered an injury at work or in a public place, contact Flaxman Law Group at 1-866-352-9626 (1-866-FLAXMAN) for a free accident consultation with an attorney. Our attorneys have decades of experience and a track record of securing multi-million dollar settlements in South Florida.