For most businesses, there is little risk of somebody getting hurt from your business. Though accidents can happen whether it is somebody getting injured on the business premises, or from using a defective product that you produced. In any business, you have to be prepared for an accident no matter how unlike it may be.
If an accident does happen then it can seriously affect your business. Loss of money and of the ability to conduct your business can sometimes shut you down completely especially if the injured party has good personal injury representation.
In this article, we will go over some of the things you have to do when you do have an injury caused by your business.
1 – Get medical help immediately
The very first thing to do when somebody is injured on the property of your business is to call for medical help. Even if the injury doesn’t seem serious there should be some medical attention given.
The health of the person should be your focus in case of an accident. An EMT can make sure that the person is not injured further if they try to move or you try to help them yourself.
It can also help your case if there is a lawsuit filed if there really wasn’t any injury incurred and this is verified by a doctor at the time of the accident. Of course, if the accident is caused by a product away from your facility this doesn’t apply.
2 – Do an inspection of the area
You’ll need to make sure that the area where an accident occured is not going to injure anybody else. If a rug is torn or folded then it is a tripping hazard that will continue to cause injuries. And broken pavement or a slippery surface will do the same thing.
If there needs to be repairs done, then the whole area should be cordoned off so there is no chance of anybody else passing through the area and risking injury.
Take some photos of the area if you don’t see any spot where an injury could have occurred so you are covered if it looks as though there was nothing that caused the injury.
3 – Inspect your machines
If the injury was caused by one of your products then you have to be sure that there won’t be any other defects to further products produced. This means an inspection of the machinery that produces the product.
If it looks like the defect was caused by some of the machinery then you will need to pause your production and have the machine serviced or replaced.
Then, you should call your own lawyer to find out how to proceed from there.
4 – Start a recall
It could be just a one off defect that caused the injury, but you may find that there are others from the same lot that may have been affected. In this case, a recall is in order so send a letter of recall to the stores that carry your product or to anybody who has purchased directly through you for that lot.
By: Mike James
Mike James is a UK-based writer for a few small companies and organisations, as well as numerous print and online magazines. Specialising in technology developments and business matters, Mike is best known for articles based around how best to integrate the two – particularly concerning cyber security, where he has been published in some of the leading authorities online.
