EYES WIDE OPEN
A napkin that falls on the floor of your restaurant presents a slip-and-fall risk. A puddle of water by a self-serve drink station is another claim culprit. A stack of boxes on uneven footing in the supply closet could result in a workers’ compensation situation. These ‘little things’ can cause big ramifications—from ruining a brand’s reputation to losing workers, paying hospital bills, and hiking up insurance premiums. That’s why we tell owners in the hospitality industry to keep their eyes wide open to minimize risk exposure.This message also applies to proactive pre-claims planning. Solve problems before they become risks to keep your team and your customers safe during your busiest season. Here are some pointers to keep in mind as you serve the crowds.
ASSESS PROBLEM AREAS
Awareness is job one. But it’s easy to overlook potential risks when we’re focused on solving the urgent problems of the day. This is where your team can come in as an extra set of eyes. So can your insurance advisor, who will ask questions while reviewing the work site to discover potential problem areas. Dedicate a safety meeting to a workplace tour and engage employees by asking them some of the issues they might experience in each environment. By including your team in the discussion, you’ll gain more buy-in to promote safety and also identify potential risks you might not have recognized.
SEND A SAFETY MESSAGE
Safety is everyone’s responsibility. Working from the assessment of potential risks, design safety meetings to address those problems. Keep in mind, a claim can take years to bubble up if an issue goes unresolved. Emphasize the importance of identifying and documenting incidents— even the ‘small stuff’ that employees might call a slip-up or little accident.
Each season, you’re bringing on new employees and welcoming back returning team members. Review policies and procedures and retrain. Throughout the season as you recruit and onboard new workers, repeat the process to build a perpetual culture of safety. While taking the time amid the summer rush can feel like mission: impossible, doing so could save you from costly claims and reputational damage.
EXPLAIN HOW CLAIMS WORK
Connect your people to the insurance claim process because they’re often the ones who can impact whether an incident occurs or not. Accidents happen. When they do, team members should have a documented process in place so they can report claims and prevent them. For instance, a server accidentally drops a tray and a drink lands in a guest’s lap. The worker apologizes and replaces the drink. But this incident should be reported to a manager. What if the customer returned later and claimed it was a hot drink? By establishing and teaching the claims process to your people, you’ll raise awareness of potential risks and assure proper reporting. These situations also become teaching opportunities for safety huddles.
‘BE SURE’ CHECKLIST
- Engage employees in an exercise to identify potential problem areas where claims could occur.
- Educate staff on the claims process and develop a procedure for reporting incidents internally.
- Lean on your insurance advisor for resources such as what details are required for reporting specific claims. It varies by incident.
- Emphasize that safety is everyone’s responsibility.
For a deeper understanding of insurance and business, check out our new issue of DIG Magazine.
