As the saying goes “better safe than sorry”, yet all too frequently we have encountered, on the occasion of visits motivated by claims, companies whose layouts and risk prevention and safety measures left much to be desired.
In a tough insurance market such as the current one, it is important to invest in prevention and safety so as to facilitate the acceptance of the risks by the Insurance Companies. Many of the measures that can be undertaken, such as improving cleanliness, sealing of electric cable ducts, thermal imaging of the electric switchboards, charging forklift batteries in an adequate place (either open air or well ventilated) … are cheap to do and require little investment.
In addition, it has been proven that most of the loss events that occur in industrial risks are caused by human factors, i.e., due to the negligence of their own workers or workmen from external companies engaged in maintenance or repair work. Therefore, it is vital to ensure that the operations and maintenance manuals are complied with and likewise the protocols for the “hot work permits”, and that both your own as well as the subcontractor staff know and follow the prevention and safety manuals established for each risk.
There is no point whatsoever in having excellent prevention and safety rules, if then their rigorous compliance is not enforced or controlled. Being strict on this point would substantially reduce the claims record of companies, and is a matter in which their boards of directors and works committees ought to be seriously involved.
The fact that some experts inspect the risks and issue reports recommending improvements in prevention and safety issues and point out any deficiencies and gaps found, we believe would reduce the accident rate of companies and facilitate the cover of their risks by Insurers.
At VANTEVO CLAIMS ADVISORS, we have experts in risk surveys and are in a position to assist Policyholders and Brokers to reduce their claims record and lower the cost of their insurance policies.