Don’t let your business go up in smoke

If you launder towels and linen in your business, there’s an unexpected fire risk you may not have thought about.

When you hear stories about things going wrong in other businesses, it’s tempting to think “that’ll never happen to us… we’re different”.

When laundry has oily or chemical residue on it from creams, massage oils and the like, it significantly increases the risk of a catastrophic fire. That’s because linen left sitting in piles, dryers or stacked in cupboards has been known to spontaneously combust, causing a fire.

Fire may result from:

  • Leaving soiled linen in a pile or laundry bin overnight, particularly if it’s been treated with bleach, stain remover or other oxidising chemicals.
  • Not washing linen thoroughly before placing it in the dryer.
  • Not allowing linen to cool down after drying, particularly when the dryer is stopped before it’s cool down cycle has finished.
  • Over-heating linen by drying it for too long.

Tips for reducing the risk of fire

  • Don’t leave soiled linen in piles or laundry bins overnight before washing.
  • Remove lint from the dryer after every use.
  • Don’t ever place linen in the dryer unless it has been thoroughly washed in hot water, as cold water doesn’t adequately remove any oily residue. Some items may also need pre-soaking.
  • Remove linen as soon as the dryer stops and allow it to cool before stacking or putting it away. Similarly, don’t stop the dryer mid-cycle without immediately removing the linen and spreading it out to cool. Warm linen left in a confined space really can spontaneously combust, causing a fire!
  • When purchasing a new dryer consider getting one with automatic fire suppression.
  • Don’t be tempted to operate any equipment beyond its rated capacity. Don’t push the dryer to its limits or use it for purposes other than what it was designed for.
  • Ensure all dryers are regularly inspected and maintained, including calibration of timers or temperature controls.
  • Consider the benefits of outsourcing the washing and drying of your linen.
Download PDF here

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    Property maintenance - could your property cause an injury?

    Guild Insurance sees many insurance claims which have come about due to poor maintenance of a property.  In too many of these cases, the poor state of the building or its grounds is obvious and it’s quite surprising, as well as disappointing, that repairs haven’t been carried out before an incident has occurred.

    What can go wrong?

    There are a range of incidents which can occur due to poor maintenance of a property.  Staff can be injured leading to a worker’s compensation claim as well as staff being absent from work for an extended period.  Visitors to the premises, such as customers, clients or contractors, can also suffer injuries leading to public liability claims.  As well as the insurance claims which need to be managed, there’s the added stress of knowing that someone has been injured while at your premises.  Some of these injuries can be very serious and life changing.  Unfortunately, the hazards which lead to these injuries are often not viewed as seriously as they should be.  Yet with appropriate property maintenance many of these injuries could be avoided.

    Case 1

    A client entered a building and tripped over an edge of carpet which was ripped and curled up.  The client sustained a fractured wrist when they landed.

    Case 2

    An awning out the front of a building was old and worn out.  During heavy winds it broke off from the building and hit a person walking past at the time.

    Case 3

    While walking through the carpark of a premises, a staff member has tripped on a large crack in the asphalt which had caused the surface to be uneven.  They fractured their ankle as they fell.

    Case 4

    Poor maintenance doesn’t just lead to people suffering injuries, it can also lead to further damage to the property.  An old deteriorating roof collapsed when hit by heavy rain as it no longer had the strength to support the weight of this rainfall.  This led to excessive water damage within the building.

    Property maintenance tips

    • Have a documented maintenance program in place. This requires a schedule for regularly checking the property to identify hazards as well as details on what needs to be serviced, repaired or replaced and when.
    • Be aware of the out-of-sight, out-of-mind hazards. Many properties have roofs, guttering and downpipes in poor condition due to a lack of maintenance as no one has thought to get up on the roof and inspect it. Include the less obvious hazards in the maintenance program.
    • Have a maintenance budget. Some maintenance work can be planned, other work will come up unexpectedly when something breaks down. You need to be able to find money to fix hazards when identified.
    • Be sure to use qualified tradespeople to undertaken maintenance work. While it can be tempting to undertake some DIY and save money, the risk of things not being maintained or repaired correctly will not be worth the savings in the long term.
    • If you’re a tenant, be aware of what you’re responsible for maintaining and what’s the responsibility of the landlord. Not all tenancy agreements are the same, so you need to be across the details of your agreement.
    • Don’t wait to undertake maintenance till a more convenient time. There are many cases of injuries occurring due to hazards which had been identified but not yet acted upon, usually due to costs, time or not acknowledging the risk of the hazard.
    • All staff have a responsibility to create and maintain a safe workspace. Some hazards will be identified through regular property inspections, however, you can’t rely solely on these inspections. Therefore, encourage all staff to continually be on the lookout for hazards and to speak up when they see something.
    • Don’t think it won’t happen to you and your property. These incidents are a lot more common that many people realise.

    Download Property Maintenance article

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    Understanding social media risks

    Social media is an ever increasing form of communication for many people in both their personal and professional lives. It presents people with many benefits in allowing them to communicate a variety of messages to many people with great speed and efficiency. However, those benefits need to be balanced with the many risks social media presents.

    Social media is a very broad term which includes any websites and applications which allow users to interact with other people as well as create or share information (text, photos, videos etc.).

    There are endless examples where people appear to have not stopped and thought before they’ve posted on social media. Poorly considered social media posts can and do affect the personal and professional reputation and image of individuals as well as a businesses; even if the post isn’t directly related to a business.

    The following tips will assist individuals and businesses manage their risks when using social media.

    1. Have a business plan for how and why social media is to be used
    When deciding whether or not to create a business social media presence, it’s very easy to think ‘if everyone else is doing it, so should I’.  However there needs to be greater thought put into this decision.  The decision to use social media should be well thought out and based on a company’s needs and business plans; the benefits and risks need to be considered.

    2. Business social media should be based on business requirements, not personal views
    Business owners and managers need to be sure that when they make a decision on whether to use social media for their business, this decision is based on the needs of the organisation, not the owner’s/manager’s personal views of social media.  For example, a person who chooses to not use Twitter for personal use may still decide it’s a great tool for them professionally.  Business decisions and personal decisions regarding social media use should be separated.

    3. Create clear business guidelines and processes regarding who is able to post on social media and how this is to be done
    Due to the risks associated with social media interactions, it’s very important that businesses have a clear process for who is responsible for posting on social media.  The person undertaking this role needs to understand when social media is an appropriate form of communication and what sort of messages are to be shared using social media.  This process should also provide guidance on how often social media is monitored and responded to and how to respond to negative comments.

    4. Consider training for those staff responsible for social media
    It’s often assumed that young people are well versed in social media use however this isn’t always the case.  Also, not all users of social media understand appropriate business use and its associated risks.  Therefore it’s worth considering training in social media communications and its risks for the responsible staff members.

    5. Understand the social media site you’re using
    There’s a wide variety of social media sites available to businesses, all providing similar yet different benefits.  When a business is using any of these sites, it’s very important they understand the various functions within that site.  Not fully understanding how a site works is going to increase the risks of using it.

    6. Consider what messages should be shared using social media
    All businesses have various ways in which they communicate with their customers and clients.  Social media is generally designed for short sharp messages, yet not all information suits this style of communication.  When businesses are communicating with their customers, they need to carefully consider how that particular message should be shared.

    7. Carefully consider the implications of engaging with clients on social media
    Professionals and businesses should consider if social media is an appropriate forum for them to be communicating with clients, both through business or personal accounts.  Engagement through personal accounts can blur professional boundaries.  When using business accounts, some conversations may not suit social media, especially if the conversation appears in a public setting.  It’s important to consider what conversations are best had away from social media and when to take a discussion off line.

    8. Your business social media use must adhere to the Ahpra Advertising Guidelines
    Ahpra regulated professionals need to adhere to Ahpra’s Advertising Guidelines with all of their advertising.  This includes any advertising or promotion done using any social media site.

    9. Understand that you can no longer separate personal and professional use
    Unfortunately many people hold a view that what they write within a personal social media account in their own time will have no bearing or impact on them professionally.  However this is not the case.  Whether fair or not, professionals are always representing their profession and professional self; personal social media posts can be considered to be representing a professional view.  Therefore the professional impact needs to be considered before any personal post is made.

    10. Don’t believe that any post is ever private
    Too often people post information on social media which they intended to remain private and not be seen widely.  However social media can never truly be private.  Many online groups claim to be private and state that members require approval.  However non-approved users don’t need to be particularly savvy to access these groups and then share or copy information being posted.  Professionals need to remember that if they don’t want their colleagues, clients or competitors seeing a social media post, it should never be posted on either personal or business accounts.

    11. Never post in haste, all posts need to be carefully considered
    As mentioned earlier, social media is designed for quick short messages to be shared widely.  This means social media can encourage messages to be shared with little thought or planning which on occasions leads to poorly worded messages which are easily misinterpreted.  It’s important to pause and think through a message before it’s shared.

    Download PDF 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    .

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    Learning from chiropractic claims

    Guild Insurance spends a significant amount of time analysing the chiropractic claims reported to us. This analysis helps us to understand what patients complain about, factors which might make some patients more likely to complain and what actions from practitioners make it challenging to defend these complaints. Following this analysis, Guild, in conjunction with the Australian Chiropractors Association, creates risk messages and learnings to share with and educate chiropractors, with the aim of reducing complaints. The following details Guild’s key learnings for the chiropractic profession based on this claims analysis.

    Record keeping

    All chiropractors would be aware of their requirement to keep detailed clinical records. Yet, unfortunately, Guild’s claims experience tells us that too many chiropractors aren’t keeping these records to the detailed level required. 

    To better understand the level of detail required, it helps to consider the reasons, beyond the regulatory requirement, for detailed records. One commonly understood reason for keeping detailed records is the defence of a complaint. When there’s been an allegation of harm or wrongdoing, the clinical records serve as evidence of what took place and why. Unfortunately, Guild’s ability to defend against these allegations becomes quite challenging when there are vital details missing from the clinical record. And a repercussion from this is that the cost of managing and settling claims can increase. 

    The other key reason for keeping detailed records, which seems to be overlooked at times, is the role they play in providing quality treatment. Without the detailed history of the patient’s presentation, assessment outcomes, treatment provided and the response to treatment, the chiropractor is relying on their memory as they provide further treatment at each consultation. Yet we know no one’s memory is perfect and these gaps in the clinical record can lead to poor clinical decision making and inappropriate treatment.

    All chiropractors should make themselves familiar with the record keeping resources available on the Ahpra website which can be found at www.ahpra.gov.au/resources/managing-health-records.

    Informed consent

    From a claims management perspective, informed consent is a bit like record keeping. Chiropractors know they need to do it, yet it’s too often not done well enough to meet what’s required.

    To understand what’s required for a patient to give their informed consent, practitioners should focus on the key word – informed. If a patient isn’t informed, they can only give their consent, and this is not enough.

    For a patient to be informed, there needs to be a conversation with the treating chiropractor. During this conversation the patient needs to be informed about their condition, treatment options, expected outcomes from treatment and the association risks. It is only with this information the patient can then give their informed consent to treatment.

    It’s not enough to have a patient sign an informed consent form. This form, if used, is there to support the conversation, it can’t replace it.

    Communication

    Breakdowns in communication feature in almost all complaints from patients. Sometimes the patient will complain about how they were communicated with, while other times communication may not be mentioned in the complaint yet when the matter is investigated, it’s found to have been a factor. Therefore, the importance of appropriate and professional communication can’t be overlooked.

    When communicating with patients, it’s important to use language they’ll likely understand, so avoid overly clinical terms and acronyms. And don’t rely on just verbal communication, tools such as diagrams and models can assist greatly.

    When communicating with patients, be sure to keep the conversation professional and appropriate. While it’s important to form a good working relationship with your patients, there also needs to be a professional boundary. Chiropractors must ensure that topics discussed, and language used, don’t blur this boundary.

    Professional conduct

    Guild Insurance has seen an increasing trend in complaints from patients that focus less on the clinical outcome and more on how the patient viewed the professional behaviour of the practitioner. It’s becoming very clear that patients have high expectations regarding how health professionals conduct themselves and are willing to complain about this conduct.

    A new shared Code of Conduct (shared between 12 health professions) was released in 2022. Chiropractors need to be sure they’re familiar with this Code of Conduct as it details what Ahpra, and the Chiropractic Board of Australia expect regarding professional behaviour. This can be found at www.ahpra.gov.au/resources/code-of-conduct/shared-code-of-conduct.

    As mentioned earlier, maintaining professional boundaries is incredibly important. Chiropractors need to be sure their behaviour, as well as communication, maintains these boundaries. They shouldn’t become too familiar or casual with their patients or take advantage of the power imbalance between a health professional and patient.

    Clinical decision making

    Chiropractors need to be sure their decisions regarding when and how to treat are always in the best interests of their patients.

    No health professional can be the answer to every patient’s needs. It’s therefore vital to be sure you’re only treating when it’s appropriate to do so. When chiropractors see patients who should be treated by a different health professional, they need to refer that patient to someone more suitable, explaining the reasons for this to the patient. Chiropractors should also be sure they don’t allow themselves to be convinced by the patient to treat when it’s not appropriate.

    Chiropractors need to ensure that any treatment or clinical advice they provide is within their scope of practice and something they’ve been suitably trained for. While all chiropractors will develop their skills over time, this development needs to happen while keeping in line with the chiropractic scope of practice.

    Download the pdf here.
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