Winter safety: how to get your brick-and-mortar business ready

Be it sleet, snow, or ice, winter can create a lot of hazards for a small brick-and-mortar business. Harsh weather conditions increase the risk of damage to your property and can also create hazardous conditions for your employees and customers.

Protect everyone who walks through your door and avoid the risk of being held liable for an injury by taking these proactive steps to get your business ready for winter:

1. Keep all walkways, sidewalks, and doorways clear of ice and snow. Once the temperature drops below freezing, it's time to keep sidewalk salt on hand. Sprinkle plenty of salt on your walkways, sidewalks, and outside of your business's entrance frequently to stop ice from forming and reduce slipping hazards. Make sure you shovel often during active snowfalls to keep walkways visible, and mop inside if your floors get wet from melting snow and slushy boots. For extra protection against slips and falls in your entryway, hire a matt rental service to swap out dirty and wet matts on a regular basis. Keep detailed records of each snow fall or freezing rain event and always track when snow was removed, or salt was put down. Bonus tip — consider hiring a third-party company to remove snow and ice from your property. This will guarantee your property is always taken care of and you'll be protected by a "hold harmless" agreement in your contract, meaning you won't be held liable if someone does slip and fall.
2. Get creative with bold signage. Post obvious signs on your windows and around your property to warn customers and staff of known hazard zones, like areas on the roof where ice or snow may fall or a slope in the sidewalk that may become slippery when the temperature drops. This way, everyone has a heads-up about areas where they should be a little more careful.
3. Make sure your employees have the right equipment. If your employees work outdoors, invest in waterproof boots, thick jackets, hats, and gloves to keep them warm and protected from the weather.
   

   Keep your staff and customers safe this winter. Clear walkways of snow and ice, post signage around any potential slipping hazards, and create an inclement weather plan for your staff.

4. Create an inclement weather plan. If you have staff who commute to work, create a detailed plan on how business hours or staffing requirements will change if the weather is too severe for them to be on the road. Share this plan with your staff so everyone knows what to do when the weather outside gets frightful.
5. Keep lines of communication open with staff and customers. As a business owner, it's your job to keep an eye on the weather and do what you can to protect your employees and customers. Set up well-established communication channels so everyone knows about changing business hours, hazards around your business, or even business closures due to severe weather. Post often on your social media channels, email newsletters, and internal communication channels so everyone knows to be extra careful on your property or to stay off the roads if you decide to close because of a winter storm.

Safety starts with you as a business owner. Take proactive measures to prepare your brick-and-mortar operation for the winter, and don't forget to reach out to your licensed insurance broker to make sure you have the right commercial liability insurance in case an injury or incident takes place on your property.

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