Tag Archives for " general liability "

Preventing Slip and Fall Incidents at Your Home or Business

We may not get much ice in Central Florida, but many other potential hazards can cause someone to slip and fall at your house or your office. In Central Florida we also have a large elderly population who are all potential fall victims, steps must be taken to keep them from falling. Prevention is the key to eliminating slip and fall hazards and preventing serious injury from occurring due to negligence. Here are a few ways that you can make both your home or business safe from slip hazards:

Tips for Preventing Slip and Fall Accidents

• If a slippery substance such as oil, grease, or a household cleaner spills at your home or business, it should be cleaned up right away. As you undertake cleanup, be sure that adequate signage is used to alert customers, employees, or family that a slip hazard is in the area. 
• Regular inspections and cleaning of high traffic areas or work areas where oil and grease are used should be made.
• Make sure there is sufficient lighting around your home, in parking lots, on sidewalks, walkways, and in stairwells to ensure they are visible. LED lights are best for commercial settings because they light a wider area and act as a deterrent for crime.
• Bunched carpet, loose tiles, and uneven flooring can all cause someone to trip and should be repaired.
• Potholes that are not filled present a hazard where someone could twist or break an ankle, or they could fall and break a bone.
• Water that runs into a parking area can quickly become slippery, and the source of the runoff should be dealt with to prevent any slipping.

Stairs and Ramps

• Handrails are an effective way to prevent the disabled and elderly from falling.  Installed securely in stairways, ramps, halls, and bathrooms they can help people to have a sense of independence while at the same time eliminating the potential for a fall.
• Broken or loose steps in a stairwell is a recipe for a lawsuit if someone falls due disrepair.
• Make sure that stairwells are lit well and have something that will increase friction such as carpet or non-slip treads.

Lawn Areas

• Make sure lawn areas are kept mowed to 7 inches or less so that hidden items such as a sprinkler or tree roots are visible.
• Don’t leave old toys, tools, or portable sprinkles on the lawn, so they do not become trip hazards.
• Make sure to keep lawn areas and the exterior of homes free of stinging insects like wasps so that customers or family members are not stung.

Walkways

• Clear your walkways of ladders, tools, or anything else that could be a potential trip hazard.
• Make sure walkways are even and have no large cracks. Repairs should be made if either one of these conditions exists.

What to do if a Slip and Fall Happens on Your Property

• Seek medical attention for the injured party if needed.
• Gather critical information such as the name of the injured party, the time of the day the slip or fall incident occurred. The location of the incident. What was going on at the time of the accident (was it the injured party’s fault?) Take pictures of the scene and if possible, of the injuries sustained by the person who fell.
• If you or the person who experienced the accident need to file a claim, contact your insurance company promptly. Follow the insurance company’s instructions to document the claim correctly.
• If a severe injury occurs as a result of a slip or trip, contacting an attorney may be in your best interest.

All that is needed to stop slip and fall accidents is to care enough to prevent them. Should you have any questions about Liability Insurance, contact us via email here or call us at (863) 646-LOCK.

Professional Liability Insurance

Whatever your profession, protecting yourself with professional liability insurance is not just a smart thing to do, but a necessity in today’s litigious society. You have worked hard and put in years of education and work to get where you are in your career. Without the right coverage for potential negligence suits, you could lose everything you have worked so hard to achieve.

What It Covers

General liability insurance can protect you from a wide variety of claims against you and your business, but will not protect you from the type of lawsuit that can result from the simple errors we are all capable of making. Nor will it protect you from claims made against you that are unfounded. Remember that even if there is no truth to the accusations against you, you can still find yourself in court defending yourself and your professional reputation against them at a very high cost to you.

Those who provide a service or advice, or in any other way use their knowledge and experience to help others are in need of professional liability insurance. This includes things like errors and omissions insurance and malpractice insurance, both of which are types of professional liability. The similarity is that the types of lawsuits brought against professionals are usually based on actions, advice, or services that may not have caused property damage or direct injury but nonetheless can in some way be shown to be a result of the negligence of the professional.

Don’t Take Chances

You do your best to provide good advice, to make sure that everything you do and offer to your clients is as accurate and helpful as possible, but everyone makes mistakes. And even when you didn’t make a mistake, all it takes is someone who is unhappy with the outcome to turn on you and put the blame at your feet. These lawsuits can cost professionals incredible amounts of money, even if you win. Having to pay out on such a lawsuit can easily bankrupt even the most well off professional.

Professional liability insurance provides you with the means to defend your good name in court against accusations as well as to pay out on settlements when you are found to be negligent. Without it, you could find yourself not only out a lot of money, but your reputation could be on the line because you are unable to fight an unfounded lawsuit. Don’t take chances; protect everything you have worked so hard for with the right professional liability policy for your industry.

Your insurance agent can help you to ensure you have the coverage you need to have complete peace of mind.

How Much Should Liability Insurance Cost?

Factors that affect Liability Insurance

There are several factors that decide the price on Liability Insurance:

• The number of employees and the sub-contractors cost (many do not understand their sub-contractors effect there rate even when they carry there own insurance).
• How many Owners – if one of the owners is not active or is not in the field working, sometimes we can exclude them.
• Gross receipts – total that you bring in to the business before you pay all your expenses.
• The type of work that you do – insurance companies call them class codes. Each type of job description will be placed with a code or similar risk and can be grouped together.

There are several factors that can hinder you with some companies:

• Prior claims or knowledge that a claim could arise
• Job type or description
• How many years of experience
• More sub-contractors than employees

Click here to read more and we can help you understand some of the complicated insurance situations.

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Don Westerfeld 11/11/2010 6:53:00 PM