It’s important to be aware of the risks of a small business that your customers may be exposed to. It is your responsibility to make sure you mitigate such risks as much as possible, including upholding health and safety. However, it is impossible to eliminate all risks. So what action should you take if the worst should happen?

1) Minimise Risk

If an accident should occur you must take action quickly to prevent further damage or injury as well as. But first of all you should, or course, anyone who has been injured receives any medical attention they need.

2) Keep Records

Record the nature of the accident stating exactly what happened, including statements from witnesses. These can prove very important if they are taken at the time of the accident while the information is still clear in their minds. You could also take photos of the area after the incident.

Any injured person has exactly three years from the date of the accident to make a claim against you. But by then, any witnessed may be untraceable and unreliable.

3) Check Your Cover

When you choose your policy you have to be certain it covers your work and there are no exclusions. If you don’t check the exclusions before buying and check all the clauses you may find yourself in a difficult position. If you then need to make a claim, you are sure everything is ready.

4) Contact Your Insurer

Next, you need to get in touch with your insurer explaining the details of the incident. They will then tell you whether or not you are covered. You must act quickly so that your insurer can decide what to do next. This may be a loss adjuster or solicitor or something else. Even if you don’t think the injured person will make a claim against you, you should still inform your insurer.
5) Don’t Admit Blame

Don’t offer compensation first and talk to your insurer later. It may seem like a good idea to sort the problem as quickly as you can but do not admit the accident was your fault because it may leave your insurer unable to fight your corner effectively. If a third party gets in contact about a compensation claim, you should pass it straight to your insurer.

6) Seek Advice

In a worse-case scenario you may receive a summons, which you should not respond to directly, but forward to your insurer to deal with.

Finally, make sure you learn from your mistakes. If there has been an incident, take steps to ensure it does not happen again. Your insurer may impose post-loss improvements, which provide you with the opportunity to improve your business and avoid getting caught short again.

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