Last year we made the decision to take on our first employee for Drew Media LTD, and found that we had to get a lot of things in place before employing someone.
Not only did we have to ensure that we could cover a full time salary and pension contributions, but we also had to check that we had correct health and safety procedures in place to minimise any risks and hazards. We also had to ensure that we had the proper insurances in place to deal with all outcomes.
Here are some of the things we did to minimise insurance claims in the workplace.
Carried out risk assessments regularly
A risk assessment will help you to identify hazards, decide who they risk and then create a plan to control them or eliminate them altogether.
Identifying workplace hazards helped us to take the correct steps to reduce risk for our employee. My course at university at further childcare work meant that I could knock out risk assessments in my sleep.
By carrying them out regularly we keep our employee safe and put an action plan in to place.
When carrying out a risk assessment it is important to:
- Recognise who could possibly be harmed and how.
- Consider the risks.
- Take action to prevent the risks.
- Record the findings and create an action plan for any further measures needed – for example, maintaining equipment. Click here for more info.
- Regularly review the risk assessment for changes.
It is really important to carry out risk assessments and to record them – as well as reviewing them regularly to ensure they are still up to date and valid.
Avoid accidents in the workplace
Accidents in the workplace can lead to insurance claims, so here are some tips to prevent accidents in the workplace.
- Don’t rush employees
- Provide the correct safety gear
- Give clear and detailed instructions
- Keep walkways clear
- Keep workspaces clear
- Have proper signage
- Inspect and maintain equipment regularly
Slip, trips and falls are very common in office spaces, and it was something that we wanted to ensure didn’t happen. Some examples from our office included not having phone and computer wires in the walkway where someone could trip up on. Keeping emergency exits clear when we had a lot of eBay stock around the office was also extremely important. Another one that is often overlooked is a wet floor sign when floors are being cleaned.
Get insured
Having the correct insurance in place will help to protect you and your business from claims.
Whilst it won’t stop a claim, having the correct insurance in place will mean that your employee is compensated fairly without it having a negative financial impact on your business.
Insurance costs will vary depending on your particular business needs. For example, if you are a small business like us then your insurance cost will be smaller than a multi-million pound business.
Insurance is great to protect small businesses who might land themselves in hot water from a claim.
