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General
Commercial Crime Prevention
Protecting Your Computer Equipment
Business Interruption Prevention
Contractors' Loss Prevention Tips
Office Loss Prevention Tips
Commercial Vehicles Loss Prevention
Tips
Repair Garage Loss Prevention Tips
Retail Loss Prevention Tips
Slip and Fall Loss Prevention Tips
General
Commercial Crime Prevention
- Ensure that all exterior doors
have deadbolt locks with a minimum one inch bolt into
the strike plate.
- Secure exposed exterior
door hinge pins to prevent their removal.
- Protect all grade
floor glass through the use of bars, metal screens
or burglary resistant glazing materials.
- Install a burglar
alarm system which is monitored offsite. We recommend
that the system be certified by Underwriters Laboratories
of Canada (ULC).
- Continually check
for unsafe work conditions and practices, and take
prompt corrective action.
- Provide a complement
of serviced, multi-purpose fire extinguishers in your
premises and instruct all staff in their use.
Protecting
Your Computer Equipment
- Clamp or lock PCs
to desks/work stations. Security kits are available
at nominal cost.
- Backup data and
programs on a regular basis and store them offsite
in a secure location.
- Laptop computers
are portable and easy targets for theft. Do not leave
them unsecured or unattended.
- Maintain records
of serial numbers for all of your computer equipment.
Business
Interruption Prevention
- Employ the services of a professional
accountant to:
- Prepare financial
statements.
- Perform an annual
audit of your books.
- Maintain a list
of secondary suppliers of materials in the event your
primary supplier suffers a loss.
- Be prepared with
a plan of action as to how you will continue to service
your customers while your premises are being repaired
after a loss. This will help you to avoid losing your
customer base. Consider availability of temporary
premises where you can resume operations immediately.
- Reduce the physical
and moral hazards of your business.
- Duplicate your business
records and store them off-site; in the event that
your premises are damaged, you will have documents
to substantiate any business interruption loss
Contractors'
Loss Prevention Tips
- Focus on pre-job and pre-task
planning. The principle of planning the work and working
the plan should be followed.
- All tools and equipment
should be kept in a locked area at all times when
not in use.
- All tools should
be stamped with an identification number to assist
in recovery. Tools should be painted with bright,
easily recognizable colours to ease in their identification.
- Any onsite storage
of materials should be in a secure storage area. Where
the materials are considered a high target, they should
be kept inside a building in a locked area or brought
to the site only when they are needed.
- Warning signs should
be posted limiting access and indicating the safety
equipment required to gain entry.
- All electrical cords
that pass through pedestrian areas should be secured
so that tripping is avoided.
- All mud or water
on public traffic areas should be cleaned regularly.
- The local utilities
should be contacted to locate underground services
in the event that any excavations are to be performed.
- All flammable liquids
used should be stored in approved safety containers.
- All hotwork should
be controlled. Combustibles should be removed at least
11 metres from the hotwork. If this is not possible
non-combustible shields should be used. A fire watch
should be provided for at least a half-hour after
the hotwork is completed. All hotwork permit regulations
must be followed.
- All combustible
refuse created during the work should be cleaned up
regularly. Oily rags should be separated and stored
in metal containers with tight fitting lids.
- Fire extinguishers
of the appropriate type should be available at all
times.
- Certificates of
liability should be obtained from all subcontractors
to ensure they are maintaining adequate liability
coverage.
- All new equipment
should be tested and inspected when the work is completed.
Customers should signoff the job once complete.
- Ensure that the
project complies with all applicable codes and standards.
- Records of all jobs
including plans, testing documents and approvals should
be maintained.
Office
Loss Prevention Tips
- Avoid overloading of electrical
outlets, particularly in older buildings equipped
with fuses instead of circuit breakers.
- If existing electrical
service is inadequate, ensure that any required electrical
modifications are done by a professional electrician.
- Ensure that life
and safety features such as fire alarms, exit signs
and emergency lights are operational and serviced
as per applicable fire code specifications.
- Clean all spills
or wet floors immediately, post signs warning of wet
or damp floors and check floor surfaces for potential
hazards on a regular basis. Non-slip rugs should be
used during the winter months.
Commercial
Vehicles Loss Prevention Tips
- Be SELECTIVE when hiring drivers
for your vehicles by obtaining pre-employment checks
on all employees. Your vehicles should be suitable
for the type of work you do and the relative experience
of your drivers. A safety conscious driver, with a
clean driving and operating record, is the key to
reducing the risk of personal injury to the driver
and passengers as well as any damage or injury to
others.
- Drivers should NEVER
pick up hitchhikers or allow anyone who is not authorized
by the OWNER, to ride in the vehicle.
- Proper MAINTENANCE
improves road safety and should be completed by experienced
and qualified mechanics. Regular maintenance schedules
and records should be kept to prevent accidents caused
by unexpected mechanical failures.
- Inspect your vehicle
every day against a standardized checklist. Keep your
vehicle equipped with a flashlight, good spare tire,
jack and flares in case of emergencies.
- Proper USE of vehicles
extends the life of your vehicle as well as preventing
damage to the property of others. Drive on well-maintained
and well-travelled roads. Travel at speeds that are
not in excess of the posted speed limit. Properly
secured loads prevent your load from spilling on the
roadways causing damage to others. Improper loading
or overloading leads to load shift and/or upset or
rollover. Vehicles should only be used for their intended
purpose.
- Always lock your
vehicle and take the keys with you, even if it is
only for a few minutes.
- Never leave the
engine running while your vehicle is unattended.
- Safeguard your keys
- NEVER keep your vehicle keys or business keys on
the same key ring and NEVER attach identification
tags to them.
- Valuable items exposed
to view are an invitation to thieves, e.g. log books,
delivery schedules, cash, cheques. Drivers should
NEVER reveal the contents of their vehicles, their
loads, their destination or leave their loads unattended.
- Deliveries should
not be made unless the receiving party signs them
for.
- Parking in well-lit
areas is important for personal safety and for the
protection of your vehicle and cargo. Keep your vehicle
in a locked garage or protected location when not
in use.
- Choose your anti-theft
devices carefully. There are many types of anti-theft
devices available to protect your vehicle and cargo.
Choose the mechanical device, alarm or electronic
immobilizer that is best suited to protect your vehicle
and cargo.
Repair
Garage Loss Prevention Tips
- Establish, post and strictly
enforce a rule forbidding customers from entering
the service bay area. By establishing a clean, safe
waiting area for customers, you will significantly
reduce the possibility of "slip and fall"
types of losses. An added benefit is that customers
will not disturb your mechanics while they are working
on vehicles.
- Ensure that you
always get signed customer work orders that outline
the authorized repairs. This will eliminate any disputes
as to the work that was authorized by the customer.
- When preparing a
customer's work order, all completed repairs should
be listed along with all recommended repairs declined
by the customer; the customer should sign-off the
work order. Including declined recommendations in
the work order could protect you from a potential
liability loss.
- Make sure that the
front, rear and interior of your business premises
are well lit, particularly when closed for business.
- When overnight
storage of customers' vehicles is necessary, they
should be stored inside if possible. If outside storage
of vehicles is required on a regular basis, the area
should be well lit, adequately fenced and padlocked
overnight.
- Establish a key
control procedure with employees to limit access to
customers' keys. Keys should be kept under lock and
key, within your office premises. This will reduce
the accessibility of keys to potential thieves and
vandals, reducing the possibility of customers' vehicles
being stolen or vandalized.
- Limit the amount
of cash in the till by using a safe or money-limiting
device. Make regular bank deposits, varying the time
of deposits and the route taken.
- Ensure that you
maintain accurate inventory records for all stock,
including tools, automobile parts and miscellaneous
retail items. In the event of a theft loss, accurate
records will make it easier for the insurance adjuster
to settle your claim fairly, quickly and equitably.
- Obtain driver abstracts
for all employees on a regular basis. This will help
you to determine which employees should be test-driving
customers' vehicles.
- Establish guidelines
for employees as to when and who is permitted to test
drive customers' vehicles.
- Ensure that test
drives follow a predetermined route, in areas that
have relatively light vehicular and pedestrian traffic.
This can significantly reduce your chance of suffering
a loss with a customer's vehicle.
Retail
Loss Prevention Tips
- Never store combustible
material, such as cardboard or paper, near heaters
or electrical equipment and remove combustible waste
on a regular basis.
- In sprinklered buildings,
keep stock more than 18 inches below the sprinkler
heads, so as not to interfere with the system's effectiveness
in the event of a fire.
- Avoid overloading
of electrical outlets, particularly in older buildings
equipped with fuses instead of circuit breakers.
- Keep all of your
stock off the floor, stored on skids, shelves, or
racks.
- Make sure the front,
rear and interior of your business premises are well
lit, particularly when closed for business.
- Arrange the interior
layout of the store so that the till area is clearly
visible from the exterior of the building.
- Limit the amount
of cash in the till by using a safe or money-limiting
device.
- If your store is
open long hours, consider the installation of closed
circuit television cameras and hold-up alarms.
- Make regular bank
deposits, but vary the timing of the deposits and
the route taken.
- Install anti-shoplifting
devices and surveillance equipment or keep high priced
merchandise under lock and key in display cases.
- Ensure that life
and safety features such as fire alarms, exit signs
and emergency lights are operational and serviced
as per applicable fire code specifications.
- Do not block exits
with stock or equipment. Ensure that all exit doors
are unlocked during store hours.
Slip and Fall
Loss Prevention Tips
- Inspect the interior
of your premises on a regular basis for unsafe conditions
that could lead to a slip & fall loss. Maintain
a daily log of when the inspection was done, what
conditions were noted and what corrective action was
taken.
- Floors should be
kept clean and in good repair at all times, with loose
or defective flooring being replaced immediately.
- Ensure that aisles
are kept clear and free of fallen merchandise or stock.
(e.g. fruit, vegetables, clothes etc.)
- During periods of
inclement weather, all entrances should have mats
or rugs to help keep the floor clean and dry. Damaged
mats should be replaced as soon as possible.
- Non-slip wax should
be used on floor surfaces, where required.
- Water and other
spills should be mopped up immediately and a Caution-Wet
Floor sign should be posted.
- For surfaces that
are consistently slippery, specialized non-slip epoxy
coatings or non-skid flooring materials may be used.
- For spills involving
oil or other industrial materials, absorbent non-combustible
cleaning materials should be used.
- Ensure that all
entranceways and aisles are clear of obstructions
and/or promotional displays.
- Inspect the exterior
of your premises on a regular basis for unsafe conditions
that could lead to a slip & fall loss. Maintain
a daily log of when the inspection was done, what
conditions were noted and what corrective action was
taken.
- Any damage to stairs,
sidewalks and pavement should be repaired as soon
as possible, with signs and barriers posted, until
such time as repairs are completed.
- A snow and ice removal
program should be implemented and adhered to, with
a single individual having responsibility for the
program.
- Have the appropriate
equipment, tools and materials available for use by
your staff, in the case of a weather related emergency.
e.g. shovels, salt, sand etc.
- Professional snow
removal contractors should be contracted to plow,
sand and salt your parking and walkway facilities.
Ensure that the contractor keeps a comprehensive log
of the work performed.
- Clean gutters and
downspouts and ensure that melt water is directed
away from sidewalks and walkways. Check that exterior
lighting is adequate and check on a regular basis
for malfunctioning light fixtures.
- Establish and maintain
a daily garbage removal program, whereby the walkways
and sidewalks are swept and the debris removed on
a regular basis.
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