Retail industry

Business

admin — Wed, 27 Feb 2019 06:44:07 +0000

Business admin Wed, 02/27/2019 - 01:44

Managing risk in the food industry

SIL6504 — Fri, 22 Jun 2018 17:39:00 +0000

Managing risk in the food industry SIL6504 Fri, 06/22/2018 - 13:39

Businesses in the food industry face unique hazards and risks.

State Auto has a sophisticated risk review and management process focused on the food industry. Learn more about our insurance solutions for the food industry.

Safety is key to a pleasant grocery shopping experience

SIL6504 — Fri, 22 Jun 2018 17:02:31 +0000

Safety is key to a pleasant grocery shopping experience SIL6504 Fri, 06/22/2018 - 13:02

Your attitude toward grocery shopping usually depends on how hungry you are and how much time you have. The trip can be either tedious or deliciously tempting, relaxing or terribly stressful. To try to keep you happier and hopefully get you to buy more groceries, stores have recently had a focus on the customer experience. Grocery stores are making changes, ensuring that our weekly visits are not only pleasant and enjoyable but also safe and comforting.

Whether you're visiting your local independent store or a national chain of supermarkets, grocery stores typically aim to succeed in these areas:

Being profitable
Reducing theft
Creating a pleasant experience
Protecting themselves from frivolous lawsuits
Ensuring safety for their customers and employees

Each visitor that walks through the grocer's door is an opportunity to excel in these areas.

Beyond their loyal patrons, grocers also see a large number of visitors walk through their doors to help with store operations. People such as delivery personnel, inspectors, sales reps and many others frequent these stores on a daily basis.

With a comprehensive loss control program, grocery stores can safeguard their visitors as well as themselves from unfortunate, costly accidents. Here are some important tips for grocery stores of all sizes to implement:

Formal maintenance programs with logs
Quality (and standard) housekeeping practices
Floor coverings kept in good condition without any trip hazards
Maintaining safe parking lots and sidewalks
Extensive and periodic employee safety training
Addressing spills immediately with signage and sanitation
Proper trash removal
Sweeping and mopping floors daily
Rubber-backed mats used at entrances and dairy, meat and produce sections
A daily aisle "walk through" by an assigned employee. Even aisles walked 8 a.m., odd aisles walked 9 a.m. - all documented in a log.

Claims for grocery stores tend to occur more frequently due to the likelihood of slips, trips and falls in the industry. Because of this, certain employees should be designated to regularly inspect the grounds for any unsafe conditions. This includes any spills, trip hazards, or the potential for any falling objects that may be stored overhead.

Adequate camera placement should also be a top concern when grocers think of how best to protect themselves. It's essential to monitor the store's interior and exterior while ensuring that the video footage is organized and retained until the statute of limitations expires in your area.

By using these best practices, grocery stores can help reduce the risk of casualty claims and contribute to a safe, pleasant shopping experience for their customers.

State Auto Insurance makes no representations or guarantee as to the correctness or sufficiency of any information contained herein, nor guarantees results based upon use of this information. State Auto does not warrant that reliance upon this document will prevent accident and losses or satisfy federal, state and local codes, ordinances and regulations. The reader assumes entire risk as to use of this information.

Retail parking lot safety

SIL6504 — Thu, 21 Jun 2018 19:00:41 +0000

Retail parking lot safety SIL6504 Thu, 06/21/2018 - 15:00

What do cracks, snow and grocery carts have in common? They're all common ingredients in parking lot losses, and therefore important factors in parking lot safety. How often do you think about parking lots? If you're a store owner, an insurance agent, or an underwriter, you may think about parking lots and parking lot safety more often than most.

Parking lot conditions are sometimes thought of last - or not at all - when a business owner looks at possible retail locations.

Yet where your customers will park may be a big source of problems for your customers and your store if not considered carefully.

We encourage store owners to start by stepping outside the store. Look around your parking area, and ask yourself questions, such as: Is it a beautiful, smooth patch of concrete or blacktop? Or are there cracks, bumps or holes? Would you be okay with your 80-year-old mother or your 2-year-old grandson walking across it? What about at night, or in snow?

Even a hole as small as one-inch wide can cause someone to stumble, trip or fall.

For example, a customer had a large parking lot. It had a very small hole smaller than your hand for a drain that happened to be missing its cover. A woman was making her way back to her car with her cart, when she accidentally stumbled on that tiny hole, breaking her femur in not one, but two places. The loss ended up costing almost $1 million.

Walk around your parking lot and look through the eyes of your customers, especially those who may have difficulty walking. Hazards like holes (of any size), uneven pavement, cracks and bumps can cause big problems.

Lights are another critical consideration for parking lots. Do you check regularly to ensure the lights are all in working order? Parking lots that do not have a ton of lighting or are dimly lit may be more open to things like trips and falls, criminal activity, and drivers hitting other vehicles, or worse, pedestrians.

As the business owner, you may have full or partial responsibility for incidents in your parking lot. Be sure to keep an eye on those lights so your parking area can stay well lit. Surveillance cameras may also be incredibly helpful in protecting your business, your employees, your customers and yourself.

If you live in an area that has snow and ice, you may be all too familiar with how dangerous these conditions can be for driving and walking through parking lots. How you handle the snow removal is important. Do you clear the area yourself or hire a snow removal company? Or, do you hope it gets sunny and the snow melts? Clearing the snow and/or ice yourself may put you directly in the line of responsibility, should someone slip or fall on your property. If you are using a snow removal company, make sure you have a contract in place. Check your contract to see who is accountable in the event someone is injured on your property, and seek legal advice if you are unsure. Snow and ice removal responsibility can vary greatly by state, so be sure to speak with an insurance agent or attorney to find out the legal requirements where your place of business operates.

Grocery stores and other stores that have carts present an additional parking lot exposure.

Think about the path your shoppers will take with their carts in the parking lot. How can you make the experience easier for your customers and safer for the people and cars around them?

Cart corrals can minimize some risk of damage, but the other factors we've mentioned also play a role where carts are concerned. Parking lots are also a common place for criminal activity. "If parking lots aren't the scene of the crime, they are the entry point and staging area for a lot of crime that takes place in stores and shopping centers," according to an article published by the National Retail Federation that offers data and tips for store owners.

Making sure you're following proper parking lot procedures and providing the safest possible environment may be just as important as the measures you take to keep people safe inside your store. Read " 6 parking lot perils property owners need to pay attention to", from PropertyCasualty360.com for more information and tips.

State Auto Insurance makes no representations or guarantee as to the correctness or sufficiency of any information contained herein, nor guarantees results based upon use of this information. State Auto does not warrant that reliance upon this document will prevent accident and losses or satisfy federal, state and local codes, ordinances and regulations. The reader assumes entire risk as to use of this information.