By Julia Young

Did you know that slip-and-fall events are one of the most common causes of accidents? Each year in the United States, over 300,000 people sustain injuries due to slip-and-fall accidents. In fact, they rank second only to automobile accidents, causing nearly 12,000 deaths per year.* Considering the number of customers, employees and other guests walking through your premises each day, self-storage facilities are susceptible to these types of losses, especially for facilities that offer 24-hour operations.

When customers fall down at your facility, they most likely will ask you to pay their medical bills. When this happens, you are obligated to call your insurance agent or insurance company right away to ensure the proper steps are followed to start the claim process. In some cases, the injured party will seek compensation for not only medical bills but also for lost wages. In extreme cases, they may seek large settlements if the accident results in an injury that causes partial or permanent disability. As you can imagine, these claims can be time consuming and expensive. Additionally, your pocketbook may be impacted by increased insurance premiums! Because of the time and money involved when an accident occurs, prevention of slip-and-falls should be a top priority for self-storage operators.

The good news is that you can control slip-and-fall accidents at your self-storage facility. The process is simple and easy. The first step involves creating a solid risk control policy. The second step is the most crucial of all; you must gain the commitment of your self-storage manager (in many cases that may be you, the owner). The self-storage manager is the most integral part in the success of the risk control policy. He or she must understand and be familiar with:

	The activities the organization will employ to achieve those objectives
	Who will be involved in these activities and to what capacity
	What standards of performance are expected
	How compliance with these standards will be measured**
Let's begin with creating a solid risk control policy. Here are some questions that you can use to get started.
	What hazards are present at your facility?
	Do you operate in a cold weather climate where snow and ice are prevalent?
	Do you have proper lighting throughout the facility?
	Do customers need to climb stairs or access an elevator to reach their storage unit?
	Are road surfaces maintained in safe condition?
	Are changes in levels well-lighted, clearly marked and free of obstructions?
	Are walking surfaces maintained in clean, dry, and orderly condition?
These are some, but not all, of the questions you need to address in order to create and implement a solid risk control policy to help prevent slip-and-fall losses. For example, one risk control objective may be: Ensure the facility is reasonably safe. The steps to achieve that objective could include:
	Daily inspection of the premises for loss exposures
	Documentation of inspection results
	Documentation of corrective action taken, if any

By setting a goal of inspecting the premises each day, you will reduce and possibly eliminate the hazards that may cause slip-and-fall accidents. By documenting these daily inspections, you are setting a standard that can be measured, reviewed and improved if necessary. Lastly, by keeping good records of corrective actions, you will be able to demonstrate that your facility's staff is doing its best to maintain a safe premises for customers and visitors, free from harmful conditions.

For some risks, you may need to add "comply with local ordinances" to your list of objectives. For example, operators with facilities in cold climates will want to ensure the facility is in full compliance with any applicable snow and ice removal laws in the jurisdiction. Failure to comply with applicable statutes could expose the facility to fines, and, in the event of a slip-and-fall injury, the facility could be found negligent by a jury.

In summary, by creating and following a solid risk control policy aimed at reducing and eliminating the hazards that may cause slip-and-fall accidents, you are saving both time and money! Most importantly, you are creating a safe environment for your customers, employees and guests.

Julia Young is a Program Executive with Safeco's National Programs Facility, located in Seattle, Washington. At Safeco, we are intent on offering the best mix of insurance coverages and pricing, and fulfilling the promise of our products when a loss occurs. To learn more, please visit us at www.Safeco.com.

*	Based on ISO engineering and safety data published in 2004.
**	Based on information published in 2006 by the American Institute for Chartered Property Casualty Underwriters (AICPCU) as part of its Commercial Liability Risk Management and Insurance coursework.

NOTE: The information contained in this document was obtained from sources found to be reliable, but the document does not address every acceptable or possible safety procedure or regulation applicable to your business. Abnormal or unusual situations may warrant development of different or additional procedures. Keep in mind that we cannot and do not in any way undertake to provide you with legal advice, any assurance of regulatory compliance, nor to assume your legal obligations to your employees or others. Those things remain your responsibilities.