There are many parts of Australia which experience high humidity. For some people who love the heat, these can be great places to live and work. However, unfortunately, these humid environments aren’t without risk as they can cause significant damage to buildings.

Mould and ghosting

Mould – most of us would be somewhat familiar with mould, which is a type of fungi. It grows well in damp environments, especially when there’s poor ventilation. It can grow on many surfaces found in homes and workplaces such as carpets, timber, and walls. Mould can take on different appearances; it’s most commonly black, green, or white and can look like a stain or discoloration.

Ghosting – this is a term many people would be less familiar with. Ghosting is a build-up of soot and dust particles on walls and ceilings that appears as dark stains. Moisture in the air also contributes to this occurring.

What are the impacts?

Other than looking unsightly, ghosting doesn’t have the same detrimental impact of mould. Ghosting doesn’t pose a health risk to people, and it’s relatively easy to clean. However, if the cause of the ghosting isn’t dealt with, it’ll most likely reappear.

Mould, on the other hand, can in some instances bring significant risk to both the physical building and the health of people in that building. Cleaning away mould can be done, however the success of this depends on the extent of the mould. Professional services are available to assist with this. However, if the mould has significantly impacted and damaged materials, such as plaster on walls or carpets, these will often need to be replaced.  And as with ghosting, the cause needs to be addressed to prevent its recurrence.

Mould produces tiny particles called spores. These spores are carried in the air and can cause and exacerbate respiratory issues in people. When exposed to mould, people may suffer from a runny or blocked nose, sneezing, coughing, allergic reactions and worsening asthma. Those at high risk of these conditions or with weakened immune systems need to be particularly careful around mould and it’s advisable they don’t attempt to remove it themselves.

What causes mould and ghosting?

As mentioned earlier, damp, humid environments are ideal breeding grounds for mould and ghosting. Therefore, some locations are more prone simply due to the climate of that location. Certain times of the year will also contribute to increased humidity in the air.

However, mould and ghosting can occur in any location if the conditions are right. Significant rain, especially if it’s led to flooding, will increase the moisture in the air, even in locations which aren’t typically humid. Poor ventilation and air flow also increases the likelihood of mould and ghosting forming.

Mould and insurance

Due to the damage caused by mould, it’s common for property owners to look to claim on their insurance when this damage occurs. However, insurance generally won’t cover mould build up and damage.

Insurance can cover mould damage caused by water which has entered a premises. However, mould damage caused not by direct contact with water, but moisture in the air, will generally not be covered.

Therefore, the importance of preventing mould building up and the damage it causes can’t be underestimated.

Tips for preventing and managing mould and ghosting

• Be aware of the humidity in your location. This can vary and typically low humid environments can go through periods of high humidity.
• Be mindful of the impact of high rain and flooding on humidity, and therefore moisture in the air. Flood waters don’t need to have entered a premises for moisture to be in the air, an increase in water in the surrounding environment can cause this.
• Always be on the lookout for mould, as it can build up quickly.
• If mould is found, action it immediately before it spreads out of control.
• Cleaning mould and ghosting isn’t enough, you need to address the cause, so it doesn’t continue to appear.
• Consider using a professional service to clean mould, especially if you’re at an increased health risk.
• Opening windows for fresh air isn’t recommended in humid environments as this simply allows the humid, moist air to enter the premises. Air conditioning with windows closed is necessary to reduce humidity inside.
• Consider other ways moisture gets into the air inside and what can be done to reduce or eliminate this. For example, bathrooms should have fans installed to reduce steam build-up during showers. The use of clothes driers and stoves can also lead to steam in a property.
• There are numerous products on the market which remove or absorb dampness from the air. These can be purchased from a range of stores and are designed for placement around a home or other premises. These products have a limited lifespan; follow instructions regarding how often they should be replaced.
• If a property is being locked up for a period of time, such as vacant holiday home, consider what can be done to limit the humidity inside during this time. Can someone visit the premises to replace moisture removing products? Can an air conditioner be turned on occasionally using a timer?
• Finally, don’t underestimate the risk or impact of mould and ghosting. Taking preventative steps before it occurs can save a great deal of hassle and inconvenience down the track.

Download the pdf here.

Bushfires are an unfortunate part of life for many people and businesses in Australia and the devastation they cause can be catastrophic. Sadly, the recovery from bushfire damage is often not as quick as people would hope and this can have significant consequences for businesses.

We can’t prevent a bushfire from occurring, but we can take steps to reduce the impact. The tips below will assist business owners and their staff be better prepared for a bushfire and better able to prevent or reduce impacts to the business. They’ll help you get back on your feet and trading again sooner.

Pre-bushfire planning

• Make yourself aware of the bushfire risk and likelihood for the location you’re in. If new to an area, engage with others who live and work there to understand the bushfire history of that area.
• Have an evacuation plan and ensure all staff are familiar with this. It should include details on the likely warning timeframes and fire refuge areas or meeting points. Again, engage with others in the area as well as fire authority’s to assist in creating a safe plan.
• Prepare an emergency kit that allows access to important information, equipment or tools. There’ll be occasions where the damage to a building is so great that it can’t be safely entered. Therefore, business owners must consider what they’ll need to access to both deal with the damage caused (such as insurance details and an asset register) and maintain business operations as much as is possible.
• Have your data and any business information which is stored electronically backed up in a way that can be accessed off site. This is important if the premises can’t be accessed or if information has been lost due to power shortages. Alternatively, consider cloud hosted storage solutions to protect your data.
• Ensure your business’ asset register is up-to-date. A detailed asset register means the process of an insurance claim is much faster and hassle free.
• Discuss insurance cover, including business interruption, and its costs with your Guild Insurance Account Manager or insurance adviser and ensure you understand the financial protection afforded to you in the event of a bushfire. 
• Don’t store flammable materials close to your premises and manage the vegetation around the premises.
• Develop a business continuity plan that will detail how you’ll manage your customer needs as well as your business and financial needs immediately after a catastrophic event. Thinking about this before an event can make the immediate impact and stress more manageable.
• Given there’ll likely be high demand for many services and trades, it would be wise to create a list of local services before there’s an urgent need. Utilise the knowledge of your local real estate agents; they can be a great support for putting you in touch with local trades and services.
  

Planning when a bushfire is imminent

• Don’t be complacent when there are bushfire warnings. Bushfires not only cause significant damage to buildings and other material possessions, but sadly they can lead to loss of life. Listen to all local advice and don’t delay evacuating.
• Have a plan for where and how you’ll access local and current advice when a bushfire is approaching, to be sure you can make the most appropriate decisions regarding when to evacuate. 
• Follow advice from local fire services regarding how to prepare your premises when a bushfire appears likely.
• When evacuating a building, where possible turn off the gas and electricity supply. Be sure you know how to do this ahead of time.

Post bushfire response

• Contact your Guild Insurance Account Manager or insurance adviser as soon as possible to notify them of the event and any losses suffered. 
• If you begin the clean-up yourself and wish to dispose of any damaged and unsalvageable items, ensure you take a photo of these items first, and keep a list of what’s been thrown out, to assist with your insurance claim.
• If you aren’t fully insured and are therefore managing aspects of the clean-up and recovery yourself, it’s advisable to begin by prioritising what needs to be done and determining how you’ll do this and whose assistance you’ll need. There are restoration services available that can assist with this.
• Following natural disasters, there’s often government support available to assist in the recovery. Be sure to stay up to date on what’s available from your local, state and federal governments.

Download PDF here

Storms are an unfortunate part of life for many people and businesses in Australia and the devastation they cause can be catastrophic. Sadly, the recovery from storm damage is often not as quick as people would hope and this can have significant consequences for businesses.

We can’t prevent a storm from occurring, but we can take some simple steps to reduce the impact of a storm. The tips below will assist business owners and their staff be better prepared for a storm and better able to prevent or reduce impacts to the business. They’ll help you get back on your feet and trading again sooner.

Pre-storm planning

• Make yourself aware of the storm risk and likelihood for the location you’re in. If new to an area, engage with others who live and work there to understand the storm history of that area.
• While evacuating during a storm isn’t common, it can sometimes be necessary. Therefore, it’s recommended you have an evacuation plan and ensure all staff are familiar with this. It should include details on the likely warning timeframes and any possible shelter options. Again, engage with others in the area to assist in creating a safe plan.
• Prepare an emergency kit that allows access to important information, equipment, or tools. There’ll be occasions where the damage to a building is so great that it can’t be safely entered. Therefore, business owners must consider what they’ll need to access to both deal with the damage caused (such as insurance details and an asset register) and maintain business operations as much as is possible.
• Have a plan to minimise the spoilage of any refrigerated items in the event of power being lost.
• Have your data and any business information which is stored electronically backed up in a way that can be accessed off site. This is important if the premises can’t be accessed or if information has been lost due to power shortages. Alternatively, consider cloud hosted storage solutions to protect your data.
• Ensure your business’ asset register is up to date. A detailed asset register means the process of an insurance claim is much faster and hassle free.
• Discuss insurance cover, including business interruption, and its costs with your Guild Insurance Account Manager or insurance adviser and ensure you understand the financial protection afforded to you in the event of a storm.
• Have a maintenance program in place so your building is in an ideal condition. A building that has been allowed to deteriorate or has been poorly maintained is likely to suffer more serious damage during a storm. For example, a roof that is in poor condition is more likely to let in water during heavy rain and insurance may not cover you.
• If there are issues with your building and you lease the premises, engage with your landlord as soon as possible to discuss a plan and take action.
• Regularly clean gutters, down pipes and drains. A build-up of debris means water can’t flow as intended which can lead to water entering a roof cavity when raining.
• Trim trees that could fall on your property. Check with your local council regarding any guidelines or permits which may apply. And be sure you engage experts to do this as cutting down branches is more dangerous and difficult than it may seem.
• Develop a business continuity plan that will detail how you’ll manage your customer needs as well as your business and financial needs immediately after a catastrophic event. Thinking about this before an event can make the immediate impact and stress more manageable.
• Given there’ll likely be high demand for many services and trades, it would be wise to create a list of local services before there’s an urgent need. Utilise the knowledge of your local real estate agents; they can be a great support for putting you in touch with local trades and services.

Planning when a storm is imminent

• Have a plan for where and how you’ll access local and current advice when a storm is approaching, to be sure you can make the most appropriate decisions regarding when to evacuate if necessary and how to do this given there may be road closures.
• When there are warnings that a storm is approaching, bring inside any outdoor furniture, equipment or other items where possible. This not only prevents them from being damaged, such as by falling branches, but also stops them from being blown away. Anything that can’t be brought inside should be tied down if possible.
• When evacuating a building, where possible, turn off the gas and electricity supply. Be sure you know how to do this ahead of time.

Post-storm response

• Contact your Guild Insurance Account Manager or insurance adviser as soon as is possible to notify them of the event and any losses suffered.
• If you begin the clean-up yourself and wish to dispose of any damaged and unsalvageable items, ensure you take a photo of these items first, and keep a list of what’s been thrown out, to assist with your insurance claim.
• If you aren’t fully insured and are therefore managing aspects of the clean up and recovery yourself, it’s advisable to begin by prioritising what needs to be done and determining how you’ll do this and whose assistance you’ll need. There are restoration services available that can assist with this.

Following natural disasters, there’s often government support available to assist in the recovery. Be sure to stay up to date on what’s available from your local, state and federal governments.

Download the pdf article here.

Damage to a building caused by water coming from within the building is possibly not a risk that’s top of mind for many businesses. However, at Guild Insurance we’ve seen these types of claims steadily rising over the past few years, causing more damage and more disruption than business owners could anticipate.

How does this occur?

Automated water stop devices

Loss of refrigerated stock can have a significant impact on your pharmacy and your customers, yet there are some simple steps you can take to help avoid this situation.

Every year, Guild Insurance manages a significant number of pharmacy claims where refrigerated cold stock has been damaged and needs to be disposed of. It’s therefore vital that all pharmacy staff understand the role they might play in these incidents occurring and, more importantly, what they can do to reduce both the likelihood of them happening and the impact if they do.

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the ever-changing stock requirements and demands on pharmacists. Being fully informed about appropriate and safe storage of cold stock is as important now as it ever has been.

What happens?

According to Guild’s claims data, there are four key causes for refrigerated stock being damaged.

• Storm damage – in these cases the impact of the storm causes a loss of power. Sometimes the reasons for this loss is obvious, such as when power lines come down. However, there are cases where the reason power has been lost won’t be obvious. Storm damage can also prevent access to a building or premises, meaning any opportunity to access and move the refrigerated stock is hindered.
• Failure of power supply – this occurs when, as the name suggests, there’s been a loss of power to the premises. There can be several reasons why this occurs, such as faults with or overloaded network supplies. Sometimes there’s warning it’ll happen however unfortunately other times there isn’t.
• Accidental damage – this is when the stock had been damaged accidentally due to the actions of staff, therefore this is largely due to human error. One of the most common examples in this category involves staff leaving the fridge slightly ajar without realising. Another very common example involves staff not placing stock in the fridge as is needed. This might occur if they get confused and place it on a non-refrigerated shelf or if they forget about a delivery and don’t put the stock away. We’ve even had cases of fridges being unplugged for other purposes, and then not plugged in again.
• Breakdown – this occurs when the fridge has stopped working or isn’t working effectively and therefore the correct temperature isn’t maintained. Unfortunately, in many of these cases this isn’t realised until the temperature has been impacted for too long and the stock is damaged.

The impact

While insurance is there to assist pharmacists when these incidents occur, insurance unfortunately isn’t the magical solution that can immediately solve the problem. There’s a process for determining what stock has been lost, ordering replacement stock, and then receiving this replacement. A quick turnaround time in processing an insurance claim unfortunately can’t guarantee when the stock will be back in the pharmacy. This can lead to issues for a period of time as the pharmacy isn’t able to operate as usual due to the lack of stock.

When a business can’t operate as usual, this impacts the customers as well as the business. In some of the cases seen by Guild Insurance, the stock has been a special order for a patient yet has accidently not been placed in the fridge as required. In these cases, the patient has then been unable to collect the medication when they’re expecting to and may even have to cancel or change an appointment with their doctor. This is going to be frustrating for the patient as well as possibly detrimental to their health.  As another example, imagine a pharmacy with vaccination appointments and a nurse booked to give them, without the available stock!

How to prevent these incidents

Some of the incidents which lead to cold stock being damaged is hard to predict and manage. However, all pharmacists should consider the actions they might be able to take (this can vary according to each individual business) to reduce the likelihood of a significant loss of stock.

• Know your requirements – be sure you and your staff are aware of, and are complying with, the various state and territory requirements in terms of storage and disposal of cold stock, as well as reporting requirements. Not knowing is no excuse for not adhering.
• Processes and protocols – each pharmacy needs to have processes and protocols in place regarding their storage of cold stock. These need to cover all aspects such as receiving deliveries, placement of stock in fridges, monitoring temperatures, maintenance of fridges and reporting issues. And importantly, for protocols to be effective, all staff must be trained in them. Don’t assume staff will know what to do, put systems in place to guide them.
• Ways of working – as has been mentioned, human error is a significant contributor to stock being damaged. We’re all more likely to make simple mistakes when we’re tired, stressed or rushing what we’re doing. Being distracted or interrupted can also lead to mistakes. Pharmacists and their staff should reflect on how work is carried out in their pharmacy and consider if things can be done differently to minimise the chance of human errors occurring.
• Have a plan for loss of power – While you usually won’t be able to control when you lose power, you can control how prepared you are for when it happens. Think ahead before something goes wrong and create a plan for both planned and unplanned power loses. This plan could include:
  • The use of a generator as mentioned in further detail below
  • The use of a cooler box with ice or gel packs ready
  • An agreement with another site to use a suitable refrigerator
• Reminder tools – simple reminders, such as signage or stickers, are incredibly effective in minimising human error. Place a sticker on the electricity meter box instructing it to not be turned off before checking with someone. Place another at the fridge’s power source so it isn’t unplugged or turned off. And in addition to these reminders, pharmacies should also consider installing a power point locking device or having the refrigerator ‘wired in’ so it can’t be accidentally unplugged.
• Maintenance – fridges, like all pieces of equipment, need to be maintained and will not last forever. Be sure to keep up to date with any cleaning, maintenance and necessary repairs for your fridges and always follow manufacturer instructions. While repairs and replacements may seem costly, it won’t be as costly as the impact on your business should the fridge suddenly stop working.
• Amount of stock – pharmacists should continually remind themselves of the importance of keeping stock only to the level required for that business. The less stock there is, the less stock that needs to be replaced should an incident occur. And when managing stock levels, pharmacists should make the time to review their insurance to ensure the sum insured is appropriate.
• Alarms – various alarms are available to assist in minimising the loss of stock. Fridge alarms can either provide an alert when the temperature is outside the ideal range, or if the fridge door has been left open. If these alarms aren’t already a feature of a fridge, they can sometimes be added. When considering an alarm, it really is worth keeping in mind the simple human error, which is surprisingly common, where a fridge has been accidentally left open and not realised until the next day. An alarm would be invaluable in this situation.
• Additional fridges – Where there’s available room, have more than one fridge and don’t keep each fridge full, so have more fridge space than is needed. This means if a fridge does break down, and if it’s noticed in time, stock can be moved to a different fridge.
• Generator – owning, or having access to, a generator is a great option for minimising the impact of power being lost. If notice has been given that power will be lost, or if it’s a possibility it’ll be lost in an approaching storm, a generator will provide the continual power supply needed to keep fridges operating and avoid losing stock.
• Stay informed – it’s the responsibility of all pharmacists and their staff to be fully informed of all aspects of cold storage. One valuable resource to assist with this is the Federal Government’sNational vaccine storage guidelines, Strive for 5, 3^rd edition. While this is specific to vaccines, the information, guidance, tips and resources provided are applicable to other aspects of cold storage. This document can be found at www.health.gov.au/resources/publications/national-vaccine-storage-guidelines-strive-for-5

Download the article here

Guild Insurance Limited ABN 55 004 538 863, AFS Licence No. 233 791. This article contains information of a general nature only and is not intended to constitute the provision of legal advice. Guild Insurance supports your Association through the payment of referral fees for certain products or services you take out with them. 

Damage to a building caused by water coming from within the building is possibly not a risk that is top of mind for many businesses. However, at Guild Insurance we have seen these types of claims steadily rising over the past few years, causing more damage and more disruption than business owners expected.

How does this occur?

Water inundating the premises can be caused by several factors, usually related to faulty or damaged plumbing. The most common culprits are water pipes and flexi hoses either inferior design, becoming old or damaged and consequently bursting with large volumes of water flooding the premises, while another cause, blockages in sinks, also result in water overflow. Ultimately these failures or issues create water havoc and cause significant damage to premises.

These types of incidents can happen in any business or home, though those businesses with a high number of basins and toilets, such as early learning businesses, face greater risk simply due to the number of pipes, hoses and sinks.

What’s the business impact?

Sometimes businesses are not immediately aware that a pipe has burst, particularly if it’s happened over the weekend or on holidays. Unfortunately, that means a lot of water has flowed into the premises before any action taken and more often than not, it means a lot of damage has occurred.

It takes time to completely dry an area that has been inundated with water, often requiring industrial driers which are quite loud to operate. As a result of the noise and disruption, businesses often need to close while the drying out process occurs. As well, high volumes of water can lead to mould issues, forcing businesses to temporarily close while they work to resolve these due to the health & safety risks.

On top of the drying process, there will most likely be furniture and equipment which needs to be repaired or replaced, particularly flooring, which requires clear access to complete.

Risk mitigation

While Guild Insurance prides itself on settling these matters as quickly and stress free
as is possible, insurance can’t mitigate the timing issues described above, which is why at Guild Insurance we believe that prevention is the key and can be achieved by any business with a few simple changes.

All businesses should have a maintenance program that includes routine inspections of the plumbing so that problems can be detected and repaired before an incident occurs. These inspections should be carried out by staff and supported by regular inspections by a licensed plumber.

Businesses should also consider installing automated devices which can protect against water leaks. Some of these devices will shut off the water supply when a leak
is detected, preventing the inundation of water, while others will also notify the
property owner when a leak is detected, meaning the incident can be acted on much
sooner. Business owners are advised to speak to their plumber about what will work
best for their business.

How you can save

By making these simple changes you may be eligible for a discount on your premium,
so talk to your Guild Account Manager today to see how you can save.

It probably goes without saying that as a vet you rely heavily on your equipment to do your job. Yet how often do you think about the impact on your business should something happen to that necessary equipment? Guild Insurance regularly manages claims where veterinary equipment has been severely damaged and needs to be repaired or replaced. While insurance is there to ease the burden when these events occur, it’s also important that those using the equipment think about the role they play in this.

What can go wrong?

A lot of the damage which occurs to veterinary equipment happens when the equipment is being transported, taken in and out of vehicles and used in various locations. Some examples of these include:

• While having an x-ray taken, a horse has kicked and damaged the x-ray machine
• While being placed back into a car after use, an x-ray machine was damaged
• During a procedure on a dog, ultrasound equipment was dropped while being moved
• A laptop was damaged due to ultrasound gel getting into it while being transported in a vehicle

Could the incident be prevented?

The first step to managing any risk is to consider if and how it could be prevented from occurring. In some of these cases, the incident is challenging to prevent. Animals are often unpredictable; some cases of horses kicking have occurred even when the horse has been sedated. However, in many cases human error has

been a factor and something could have been done differently. When dealing with expensive valuable equipment, please remember to always be mindful of how it’s being lifted, carried and where it’s being placed. Also think about what it’s being stored with or near; Guild has seen numerous examples of lube getting into equipment as it wasn’t stored securely away from that valuable equipment. When using equipment regularly, it’s easy to become too familiar and complacent. However it’s important to be aware that this damage does occur regularly, and vets and their staff should consider what can be done so it’s less likely to happen to them.

The business impact

Unfortunately we can sometimes develop a casual approach to property damage thinking ‘well that’s what insurance is for’. However, this view disregards the impact on professionals and their business while the claim is being settled. Damaged equipment won’t be repaired or replaced the next day. While Guild does its best to settle these matters as quickly as it can, the business will still be without that equipment for a short period. So, when considering what you can do to reduce the likelihood of damage to your equipment, also think about how you would manage if you didn’t have a piece of equipment for a week or two.

Minimise the impact

As you can’t always prevent an incident from occurring, the next best step is to minimise the impact should something go wrong. One way to minimise this impact is to provide as much information as you can to Guild so the insurance claim can be settled as soon as possible.

If some of your equipment is damaged and needs to be repaired or replaced, document as soon as possible exactly what happened and how. Taking photos of the damage will also assist Guild to understand what’s happened. Then be sure to contact Guild as soon as you can, ready to provide this information.

Adequate insurance

Veterinary equipment is expensive. Therefore replacing it when damaged will be costly. We unfortunately see too many cases where an insurance policy doesn’t cover the full cost of the equipment repairs or replacement, meaning the vet or their business must cover the additional amount. Please take the time to determine the value

of the equipment you own and therefore the cost that may be incurred if it was badly damaged and check your insurance policy to be sure you’re fully covered.

Vet Equipment Damage

Guild Insurance Limited ABN 55 004 538 863, AFS Licence No. 233 791. This article contains information of a general nature only, and is not intended to constitute the provision of legal advice. Guild Insurance supports your Association through the payment of referral fees for certain products or services you take out with them.

Operating a business during the COVID-19 pandemic has presented many challenges. Unfortunately, many businesses closed for a period of time while others worked on reduced hours. And for others, staying open meant finding new ways of doing so, such as by providing virtual services. As the world starts to consider how to move out of pandemic restrictions, it’s important for all business owners to carefully consider the approach they’ll take and the associated risks. The fallout of COVID-19 is likely to be with us for some time, so we all need to be careful to not become complacent and make changes too quickly.

Government requirements

Firstly, all business owners need to be sure they’re keeping up to date with and adhering to government requirements and regulations. This can at times be challenging as the federal government is making recommendations, yet all state and territory governments are moving at different paces in terms of lifting restrictions. All business owners need to take responsibility for being sure they understand what they can and can’t yet do regarding their operations. Information about this can be found on the following websites:

Australian Federal Government - www.australia.gov.au 

ACT - www.covid19.act.gov.au

New South Wales - www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19

Northern Territory - www.coronavirus.nt.gov.au

Queensland - www.covid19.qld.gov.au

South Australia - www.covid-19.sa.gov.au

Tasmania - www.coronavirus.tas.gov.au

Victoria - www.vic.gov.au/coronavirus-covid-19-restrictions-victoria

Western Australia - www.wa.gov.au/government/covid-19-coronavirus

Business owners may also wish to seek guidance and clarification from their professional association.

Gradual changes

While it’s understandable that business owners want to get back to how things were pre-pandemic, it’s advisable that changes aren’t made too quickly. Rushing could see changes being made which aren’t allowed or aren’t safe if they haven’t been carefully considered. It could also result in staff not understanding the changes and not adhering to them as they should. It’s important to remember we may not continue transitioning out of restrictions. Unfortunately restrictions could at any time be wound back which is another reason why a planned and measured approach is ideal.

All changes should be communicated to clients. This means they’ll feel reassured and trust that your business is continuing to operate safely. It also helps your clients understand what you expect from them to maintain this safety. This communication can be done in a variety of ways, such as by simply posting notices around the premises or sending email updates.

What works for you?

Not all businesses and business owners are the same and therefore how they provide services during the period of restrictions and how they transition out of these will, and should, differ. You should consider the following when planning to transition out of restrictions:

> Is the current way of working successful? If the changes you’ve made to the business during the restriction period have worked well for you, you may feel less urgency than others to move away from these.t of

> Does the service you provide require contact with others? The services provided by some professionals requires them to come into close contact with their clients, whereas other services can be offered from more of a distance. When thinking about making changes to your services, you need to carefully consider how close this will require you to be to your clients and if this is something you think you can do safely.

> Are your clients high risk in relation to COVID-19? If your clients are at an increased risk, possibly due to their age or health condition, this should be seriously considered when assessing how the business provides its services.

> Are you, or someone you live with, high risk? It’s not just the health of your clients you need to consider when making decisions about how to run your business. You also need to consider your health and that of those you live with. Remember, this is a highly contagious virus which can have devastating consequences; please don’t risk your or another person’s health.

Insurance cover

All business owners and professionals need to be sure they have insurance to cover them for what they do. During the period of restrictions, when some professionals changed the way they were working this led to changes in their insurance cover. Therefore, as you come out of restrictions and again change the way you provide services, you need to be sure your insurance covers those services as well as the hours you’ll be operating and the estimated income.

Trust your instinct

There are unfortunately cases of clients pleading with business owners to open when they aren’t ready and even when in breach of government restrictions. This puts unfair pressure on business owners to do the wrong thing to keep their clients happy. Of course one of the core functions of running a business is to keep clients happy and satisfied, after all they keep you in business. However this can’t be done when it’s potentially detrimental to the health of you or others. When making changes to come out of restrictions, ensure these are planned, well thought through and explained to your clients. If they do try to convince you otherwise, reiterate your reasons to them and don’t allow yourself to be convinced to do something you know isn’t appropriate.

In summary…

As more and more businesses are coming out of their restrictions and returning to their usual services, it can be very tempting to follow suit. However, please be sure no changes are made without careful consideration and planning, as the risks are too great.

Download here

As we all do our best to minimise the spread of COVID-19, one of the tragic outcomes is that many businesses need to close their doors for a period of time. This is never a decision made lightly as the ramifications are enormous. There are many factors to consider when doing this, such as how staff will be looked after during this time, if services can be provided online and how to communicate the closure with clients.

Another important consideration should be the protection of the property from which you operate your business. Sadly, vacant buildings can lead to an increase in thefts and burglaries as a lot of crime is opportunistic. Thieves will know that many businesses have closed only temporarily and therefore the buildings may not be empty, there may still be items worth stealing inside.

The following are some tips to consider if you are temporarily closing the physical premises of your business:

• While you want to inform your clients about the change to the business, placing a sign on the front of the building may not be the most ideal way, especially if this will be easily visible for those walking past. If you do want to place information on the building about a
  closure, don’t indicate this is potentially long term or indefinite, simply provide details for clients to contact you.

• Redirect mail to a home or post-office box and place a ‘no junk mail’ sign on the building’s letterbox. A messy overflowing letterbox is a sure sign no one has been frequenting the premises.

• Use a timer to have the lights turn on and off at certain periods of the day, creating a look of someone being in.

• Electronic Security Alarms should be kept operational where fitted.

• Consider which appliances can be turned off as many appliances continue to use power even when they aren’t being used. Items to consider turning off include hot water tanks, televisions, microwaves and computers. However, be sure to think about what you’re turning off before you quickly switch off all power; for example, fridges and freezers, unless empty, should be kept on.

• It’s important to conduct regular external inspections of your property to check the condition, ensuring that it’s safe and there are no signs of attempted entry or vandalism. Where possible, visit your property fortnightly, however, be sure you’re complying with government COVID-19 restrictions when doing this. Maintain the external appearance by removing any rubbish and mail and keep lawns and gardens trimmed.

• Clear out your gutters. A build-up of leaves and other debris creates a fire hazard as well as a risk of an overflow of water entering the roof space during a storm.

• If you have a good relationship with your neighbours, let them know about your closure and be sure they have your contact details. That way if anything goes wrong or they notice anything suspicious, they can let you know.

Download here

Download the cybercrime infographic here