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Expert Answers to Biz Questions Listen in! Pick up some expert advice to a reader's question that we selected from CyberSchmooz.
Successful Businesses Always Handle These 4 Repairs Quickly
Sometimes repairs are bothersome and aren’t worth the time or money to fix. For example, say you brought your new puppy to work and he chewed on one of the baseboards in the back room. Unless you’re meticulous about aesthetics in the back room, it’s not a priority to repair the baseboard.
However, some repairs can seem like a low priority when in fact, they are critical to maintaining the safety of your staff and customers. Here’s a list of 4 of those repairs:
If you have broken or uneven concrete anywhere on your business’ property, move those repairs to the top of your list. Even small cracks and pits can cause people to trip and fall and sooner or later you’ll be defending yourself against a lawsuit.
It’s not easy to get a personal injury lawsuit dismissed after neglecting your duty to maintain a safe environment for your patrons and employees (and even people who wander around).
In addition to preventing injuries, concrete repair offers several benefits:
If you notice cracks or holes in the sidewalk, steps, or parking lot, make sure to call a professional to fix the problem(s) immediately.
Asphalt feels hard when you walk and drive on it, but it’s important to remember there’s soft dirt underneath. When water seeps through the asphalt, it creates potholes that start small and get larger as they collect and absorb more water.
A pothole can do serious damage to a vehicle’s tire even at low speeds. If the pothole is big enough, it could damage the car’s alignment. As a business owner, you have a duty to maintain a safe environment for your patrons and employees. Ignoring potholes can amount to negligence in court if anyone is injured or their property is damaged as a result of the hazards you failed to repair.
It’s understandable if you need time to make the repairs. In that case, all you need to do is rope off the problem area with caution tape, orange cones, and signage that clearly marks the area as off-limits and hazardous. This won’t guarantee people obey the warnings, but it will protect you from a lawsuit if someone gets hurt after ignoring the warnings.
Hopefully you never have to deal with a sinkhole. They’re not easy to see coming, but if you end up with a sinkhole on your property, take care of it immediately.
Sinkholes are a major hazard in an area where people are actively driving around. As this homeowner learned, even caution tape isn’t enough to prevent people from driving right into a giant sinkhole.
If you have a sinkhole on your property, fix it quickly.
Allowing business as usual in a building with electrical problems creates a liability. If you’re aware of an electrical problem, no matter how small, call an electrician to check it out and fix the problem immediately.
Some problems can be easily traced to the source while others require some investigating. For example, if you keep losing power, your building may not have been constructed to supply sufficient electricity to all tenants. Losing power could also be a sign of a dangerous wiring problem.
Other symptoms of an electrical problem include flickering lights in the absence of extreme weather, heat, sparks, dead outlets, and unprotected wiring.
If you experience any of the above problems with your electricity, don’t try to fix it yourself. It’s probably against the terms of your lease to perform your own repairs anyway. Call a professional, licensed electrician to get the job done right.
Safety first! Always put safety first. Repairs are a necessary expense when doing business and should always be handled timely.
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