With Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve all around, winter never fails to bring intense feelings of joy and delight. Nothing feels as cozy as a cup of hot chocolate to chase away the chill of the snowy season.
For many business owners and property managers, however, winter is a source of conflicted feelings. As ice covers the sidewalks and parking lots of their properties, they can’t help but fear the possibility of lawsuits and damages.
All it takes is a slip and fall. The next thing you know, the business is getting sued for failing to protect its patrons. In such a climate, reducing your snow and ice liability risk is not just important but necessary.
Many Businesses are Getting This Wrong
Many businesses try to keep slips and falls under control by enlisting their employees into their very own in-house snow removal squad. They go around marching with their spades and remove some snow every now and then. While the intentions are well, this is certainly not the best way to go about it.
For starters, office employees lack the knowledge and experience to monitor and remove snow buildup diligently or effectively. Not to mention, they don’t understand the local laws and requirements.
On top of that, office workers neither have the equipment nor the will to do a thorough and effective ice removal. Most importantly, they don’t have insurance for such tasks and end up increasing your liability risk.
So even if the short term savings seem attractive, don’t fall for this trap. Your snow and ice liability risk will only go up this way. Instead, hire some professionals for maximum protection.
How a Professional Ice and Snow Removal Company Can Minimize Your Liability Risk
A professional ice and snow removal company can reduce your liability risk significantly. With a team of certified specialists and hi-tech equipment on hand, these companies can help you keep sidewalks, walkways, parking lots, and any other high-risk areas free of ice and snow. Where removal isn’t possible, they can salt the area to fix the slippery surface.
They also plan for any obstacles like fire hydrants, curbs, curves, and ramps in advance. So when the time comes for removal, the process goes as smoothly as possible.
To take your risk protection to the next level, most professional companies will extend their insurance to your business. This way their policy will cover any bodily injury claims against your business resulting from any slips and falls.
As a result, you get holistic protection that can greatly reduce your ice and snow liability risk.
Tips to Help You Get the Best Protection
Not all ice and snow removal companies are the same. To make sure you’re getting the protection you deserve, always check if your service provider:
- Offers Workers Compensation: Not only should their workers be certified experts, but they must have workers compensation covered. This way you won’t be liable for any accidents on their part.
- Provides a Paper Contract: Verbal agreements or receipts of services rendered may not hold up in courts. That’s why you must get a paper contract covering every aspect of the insurance policy from either their broker or the insurer directly.
- Follows Best Practices: Irresponsible companies can actually increase your liability risk. For instance, if your contractor creates a mount of snow that ends up damaging property or hurting someone, you may be held liable. That’s why you should always make sure that your service provider follows the industry best practices.
Don’t risk your business this winter. Enjoy the delights of this joyful season and let us take care of your ice and snow removal in Kensington MD.
At BAM’s landscaping, we have a team of licensed experts who know the industry best practices inside out and take every step to minimize your risk. From our specialists to our services, everything is insured and hence risk-free for you.
To get a FREE No-Obligations consultation, call us TODAY.
BAMS is an active member of the SIMA Association and practice best snow/ice operational practices.
