By Jim Clemmensen

With the holiday season almost upon us, it is an excellent time to discuss how increased holiday awareness efforts by you and your team may bring your staff and customers a joyful holiday season.

First let us recognize some of the impact the upcoming holidays may have on our customers. As we all know, year-end holidays are stressful simply because there is so much each person has to accomplish. Most Americans find themselves facing some or all of the following:

Work pressure relating to year-end numbers and goals
Personal pressure to plan holiday travel, buy gifts, decorate the house,
and send holiday cards
Financial pressures
Inclement weather challenges
Cold and flu season

This year, in particular, many people are experiencing financial hardship due to the rising unemployment rate. Add in the threat of the H1N1 flu virus, and it’s easy to understand how some of your customers might be more on edge this holiday season than ever before.

The bottom line is the holidays place both economic and scheduling stresses on Americans leaving many with a harsher reaction to anything that adds further problems to their lives. This often includes a less-than-forgiving reaction to incidents that they feel are the fault of others especially if they result in a negative impact to their lives in what they perceive should be a joyful holiday season.

As an example, if one of your customers should slip and fall on your premises causing a painful injury, their reaction may be more severe due to some of the factors outlined above. Add in the present severe economic downturn, which only magnifies stress, and you may wind up with a serious situation on your hands. We suggest that you attempt to minimize and prevent these situations by revisiting the basics of providing a safe and hazard-free facility.

Here are some factors worth considering. And remember, since no list can be all-inclusive, consider consulting your insurance agent and attorney for their advice.

Tenant Contracts – Be sure the contracts between your facility and
customers clearly state that your facility does not provide any insurance
for stored goods. Be sure your customers fully understand this policy,
and consider having them initial this portion of the contract. Here again,
check with your attorney and insurance agent for assistance in the
most effective means to accomplish this.

Lighting – Be sure your facility has the proper lighting as may be
required by local or other laws or ordinances. Consulting with a
reputable lighting expert is always a worthwhile idea. Remember that
daylight hours during the holiday season are shorter.

Walkways – Make sure all public areas are hazard free and clear of
ice, snow, or unnatural accumulations of water or moisture. Make sure
all walkway surfaces, including stairs, are in excellent repair.

Facility Security – Consider working with a security expert to evaluate
your overall facility security system. Ask him for recommendations that
you can discuss with your attorney and insurance agent. Your
customers and the general public expect an environment that is safe
and secure.   

Security Gates – Security gates are often a source of bodily injury or
damage to property and are often considered an attractive nuisance
to children. Now is an excellent time to have them checked by a
licensed expert to ensure they are serviced and operating properly.
Also, make sure your moving security gates have the proper
signage and operating instructions. Children should not be allowed to
play with or on these devices, so proper signs, and even fencing, may
be ideas worth considering.

Fencing – Check all facility fencing to be sure it is in good repair and
suitable for its intended purpose.

Leak Prevention – Check structures to be sure no leak potential exists
and that all doors and working parts are in good order. Nothing can be
more stressful to a customer than discovering that their stored holiday
items have been damaged due to leaks.

Fire Prevention – Be sure all fire prevention devices are serviced
including documented checks on all fire extinguishers.

Documentation – Talk with your insurance agent and lawyer about
what kind of records you should be keeping to document key activities
such as inspecting fire safety equipment, maintenance and/or repairs
to your powered security gate, and routine inspections of existing
lighting to include repairs and bulb replacements.

We hope the above items will help you and your customers to have a great holiday season. Please keep in mind these suggestions are important to your business and customers year‑round.

Jim Clemmensen is Vice President of Insurance Operations for Phoenix-based MiniCo, Inc. MiniCo provides industry-leading specialty programs for self-storage businesses including property and casualty insurance and tenant insurance programs. For more information, contact customercare@minico.com or visit www.minico.com.