Tips On Tap: News You Can Use

Please review the following prevention tips for kitchen maintenance and feel free to contact EverGuard Insurance Services if you have any questions. Hood and duct system – Please have hood duct systems professionally cleaned a minimum of twice a year, more frequent cleaning may be necessary depending on cooking volume. Please keep hood surfaces and filters free of grease buildup between cleanings and keep filters in place at all times when hood is in use. Suppression system – Please have the fire suppression system serviced at the proper intervals. Each appliance must be protected by its own nozzle. EverGuard Insurance Services highly recommends the use of UL300 systems. Deep fat fryers – Please keep fat fryers clean and clear of grease buildup. Fryers must be UL listed with an automatic high temp cut off and protected by suppression. In addition, fryers must have 16” of clearance from appliances with open flames or a splashguard which is a minimum of 8” high between it and the appliance with open flame. Extinguishers – Please have a minimum of a 40BC fire extinguisher mounted in the kitchen, this is in addition to the extinguishers for the remainder of the building. EverGuard Insurance Services highly recommends the use of K class extinguishers for kitchen use. Grease buildup – Please keep all kitchen surfaces free from excessive grease buildup as buildup increases the potential for fire hazard. Cloth and rag storage – Please keep soiled and/or grease laden rags in an airtight container between cleanings to prevent the possibility of spontaneous combustion. Ovens – Please keep ovens and pizza ovens clear of pizza boxes and other combustibles. Incident reporting – Please log in any incidents relating to the above on an incident report and save any video that captures the incident. Thank you for your consideration of the above. Download a PDF copy

Please review the following prevention tips for building maintenance and feel free to contact EverGuard Insurance Services if you have any questions. Systems – Please have systems inspected and upgraded on a regular basis. Keep HVAC filters clean and have units serviced and gas connections checked at proper intervals. Check plumbing for leaks and have upgrades to plumbing as necessary. Electrical systems must be protected by circuit breakers and free from knob and tube wiring. Please do not overload electrical systems by using multiple extension cords and power strips. If additional outlets are needed, please have them installed by a licensed electrical contractor. If there is a building sprinkler system, please have it serviced and inspected at the proper interval. Please keep water heaters and furnaces clear of combustible materials. Exterior – Please inspect the exterior of the building on a regular basis and keep siding maintained and protected with the proper finish. Please have the roof inspected on a regular basis and make necessary repairs or replace as needed to prevent leaks and damage to the building. Please keep gutters clean and free flowing and trim any foliage away from the building as needed to prevent damage to siding or roof. Please keep the parking area free from pot holes and keep parking stops in place to keep cars from hitting siding. Interior – Please keep items such as flooring, seating, lighting, exit equipment, bathroom fixtures and wall finishes well maintained. In addition to protecting the building this will help with issues such as slip and fall hazards. Burglary & Fire – EverGuard Insurance Services strongly suggests the use of burglar and fire alarms as well as taped surveillance cameras both inside and outside the building. Please have a minimum of one 2A 10BC fire extinguisher per every 3,000 square feet that are serviced annually. Whenever possible please make daily bank deposits and when money is kept on site please use an adequate safe. Incident reporting – Please log in any incidents relating to the above on an incident report and save any video that captures the incident. Thank you for your consideration of the above. Download a PDF copy

Please review the following prevention tips for security and feel free to contact EverGuard Insurance Services if you have any questions. Staff Qualifications – Please make sure all security staff are trained in the proper procedures for checking ID and dealing with adverse situations that may arise. Security Polices – Please have policies in place that all security staff are aware of and follow. Do not employ security staff that have a short fuse, force should always be a last resort of self defense or to prevent harm. Physical Contact – Please instruct security staff that if force is necessary that it must be deemed reasonable (the minimum amount needed to remove a person as to prevent harm to others or the property). Security staff should not strike a patron unless it is a clear act of self defense, if things have escalated to this point police should be called. Inside/Outside – Please have enough staff on hand to monitor the area necessary. If there are areas such as decks or patios don’t forget that these areas need to be monitored as well. Law Enforcement – Please do not hesitate to call police if there is an issue that warrants it. In addition, staff should be instructed to never deny access to law enforcement. Tracking Occupancy – Please do not allow the occupancy rating for the building to be exceeded. One of the primary duties of security staff is tracking occupancy to provide for a safe environment for patrons. Removal of unruly patrons – Please ensure that if it is necessary to remove a patron from the premises that they are escorted completely off the property and not just from the building. Make sure they are left in a safe manner and if necessary advise police or arrange for a ride. Outside staff – Please ensure that any staff hired from a security provider are properly licensed and insured before allowing them to work on premise. Incident reporting – Please log in any incidents relating to the above on an incident report and save any video that captures the incident. Thank you for your consideration of the above. Download a PDF copy

Please review the following prevention tips for liquor liability and feel free to contact EverGuard Insurance Services if you have any questions. Drinking on duty – Please do not allow consumption of alcohol while on shift under any circumstances. Checking ID – Please have a policy for checking ID if there is any doubt regarding age. ID should not only be checked at the door but at the point of sale as well. Any ID suspected of being false should be brought to the immediate attention of management. Service to minors – Please do not serve alcohol to patrons appearing 30 years or younger without checking ID. If minors are allowed on premise and obtain alcohol through a legal adult, ask both patrons to leave immediately. Server training – Please have all staff that serve alcohol complete an independent server training course such as TIPS within 30 days of employment. Please have documentation on file that all servers are of legal age to serve alcohol and have completed the proper training. Over service – Please monitor patrons for intoxication and when necessary slow the pace of or stop the delivery of alcohol. If patrons insist to continue drinking when cut off inform management immediately to assist in denial of additional alcohol. Patrons that enter already intoxicated should be asked to leave. Non alcoholic beverages – Please have a variety of non alcoholic beverages for service which provides an option for non drinkers as well as patrons who appear headed towards intoxication. Food service – Please have food available for service at all times when alcohol is being served. Transportation – Please have a ride home program in place for patrons that appear intoxicated. Log book – Please keep a log behind the bar and instruct employees to note any incidents. Incident reporting – Please log in any incidents relating to the above on an incident report and save any video that captures the incident. Thank you for your consideration of the above. Download a PDF copy

Please review the following prevention tips for slip and fall hazards and feel free to contact EverGuard Insurance Services if you have any questions. Proper railings – Please have proper railings of the correct dimensions located at places such as stairs/steps and ramps. Changes in elevation – Please mark changes in elevation such as single steps, low profile stages, raised seating areas and deck/patio transitions with high visibility striping to highlight the change. Uneven surfaces – Please make every effort to repair/replace any areas along walkways/sidewalks as well as patios/decks where the surface is not level. If not possible use striping to mark the spot. Parking areas – Please keep parking areas clear of debris and keep hazards such as pot holes in pavement repaired or gravel graded as necessary. Lighting – Please keep areas where there are transitions in elevation well lit. Spills – Please clean up spills as soon as possible when notified or discovered. Have a portable sign on hand that can be placed at the spot of the spill if it cannot be cleaned immediately. Pay special attention to bathrooms and check them regularly for spills. Elevated platforms – Please do not allow patrons to dance on elevated structures such as platforms, stages, tables or bars. Landlord/Tenant – The above items should be addressed by the tenant if located inside of the building. Items located outside the building should be addressed by the landlord. Tenants of buildings should place the landlord on notice in writing for items located outside the building. Ice & Snow – Please have procedures in place for the removal of ice & snow where applicable. Incident reporting – Please log in any accidents relating to the above on an incident report and save any video that captures the incident. Thank you for your consideration of the above. Download a PDF copy

We're pleased to provide you with a convenient Incident Reporting Form, designed to help gather and retain relevant information quickly when you or one of your employees become aware of an accident or injury to one of your patrons. With over 40 years of experience insuring restaurants, bars and taverns, we know the importance of being pro-active in gathering initial information quickly and documenting facts accurately before a claim may be filed against you. You can download the form and instructions here. Completing and submitting an Incident Reporting Form does not mean that a formal claim has been opened or filed against you. It does, however, allow your insurance company to determine if a more complete and thorough investigation is needed. This is especially important in cases where you and your employees feel that you have done nothing wrong. However, months or even years could pass between the actual incident and the time that a formal claim is made against you, and the insurance company may not be able to obtain key evidence that may have been available at the time of the incident. How you and your employees react immediately following an incident, regardless of fault, can make all of the difference. Please follow the basic steps listed below any time you become aware of an injury or a situation occurs that you believe could lead to a claim, regardless of fault: Document all incidents that you become aware of, even if they do not occur on your premises, such as a traffic accident occurring after a patron has left your establishment, or a slip and fall in a public parking lot outside of your establishment. Complete the Incident Reporting Form and submit to your insurance agent as soon as possible. This is also a requirement of the insurance policy. Gather and preserve all relevant physical evidence, witness statements, video recordings and photographs. Treat all injured or upset patrons with courtesy and respect, but never admit to wrongdoing for the incident, or take responsibility or reveal other information. Do not attempt to settle an injury or grievance with a direct cash payment. This often encourages litigation and suggests guilt on your part. It is also in direct violation of the insurance policy without the insurance companies consent. If a serious injury occurs in the evening, over the weekend, or on a holiday, and you are unable to reach your insurance agent for any reason, you can receive 24 hour emergency assistance at 1-888-847-8600. Please have your policy number available when you call. Our primary objective is to protect you, our insured, but we need your cooperation. Understanding the importance of timely and thoroughly documenting all incidents, however trivial they may seem at the time, is critical to saving you time and money should a formal claim be presented at a later date.

One commonly misunderstood coverage in the Commercial General Liability (CGL) policy is Medical Payments coverage. When competing against EverGuard some agents may say that a business owner needs to have Medical Payments coverage, and that a policy without it is inferior or offers less protection. That is simply not true. Medical Payments coverage is sometimes included in CGL policies, and some people contend that it helps business owners convey goodwill to customers and reduces claims costs. But the evidence indicates otherwise. Having Medical Payments coverage on a CGL policy actually increases claims costs. In fact, Medical Payments coverage has been used as a means of financing further legal action against business owners, which affects their loss history and can impact future premiums. Business owners are not always legally liable for accidents that occur on their premises. The business owner must typically be responsible for the accident as a result of negligence in order to be held responsible. A CGL policy already protects business owners from claims for which they are legally liable. Hospitality businesses with CGL policies that include Medical Payments often pay for unwarranted claims. Medical Payments provides for medical expenses (usually $5,000) that are “necessary, reasonable, and related to an accident occurring on the premises.” It sounds fine, until you realize that because the coverage is no-fault, the payment will be made regardless of the facts surrounding the incident – even if the business owner is not legally liable or negligent for the accident. When making a payment under Medical Payments coverage, the insurance company cannot request or obtain a liability release from the injured party, so the injured party can still take civil action. In fact, many claims continue to be pursued after payment has been made under Medical Payments coverage. For these reasons, EverGuard does not offer Medical Payments coverage on our CGL policies. The most effective way to handle any incident is to carefully document the facts, preserve any evidence, and report the situation promptly to the insurance company. Where appropriate, the professional claims adjuster can still make payments to an injured party to convey goodwill, but also obtain a liability release to protect the business owner from further claims. Here’s a real example of how eliminating the Medical Payments coverage is to the insured’s benefit: Lucy slipped and fell on a slippery dance floor at XYZ Saloon and injured her back. As the saloon owner was recording Lucy’s information on an incident reporting form, she informed him that she planned to seek medical assistance from a chiropractor. The following week Lucy called the saloon owner and reported that she needed to visit the chiropractor three times a week for the next several weeks, and each visit would cost $40. The owner reported this information to his insurance company. His insurance policy did not provide Medical Payments coverage, only General Liability insurance. The claims adjuster contacted Lucy promptly, and after confirming that the necessary medical treatment was related to Lucy’s fall, the claims adjuster offered to settle her claim for a lump sum of $800 in exchange for a signed release under the General Liability coverage. Lucy agreed, the claim was settled and closed, and the saloon owner was relieved of any further responsibility. In summary, the insurance company protected the saloon, satisfied the injured party, and resolved the claim for the cost of the medical bills, despite a lack of Medical Payments coverage. If payment were offered under Medical Payments coverage, a release would not have been obtained from Lucy and the claim would remain open for further activity. Download a PDF version of this tip here