Below you will find the most current Safety Advisor Newsletter articles for rental unit businessowners. If you're looking for a past article, please see our rental unit archive.

• Open for Business
• Don't "Slip Up" When It Comes To On-site Safety
• Step Up Maintenance for a Higher Level of Elevator Safety
• Brace Your Garage Door Securely or Brace Yourself for Possible Damages

Open For Business

For some of us, most of our New Years resolutions have already been broken. But it is not too late to make one that can help keep your business in business in case of a natural disaster. Open for Business is a business continuation program that will help keep you in business despite a disaster. It’s free, easy to use and maybe the best resolution you'll ever make.

At least one-fourth of all businesses that close because of a disaster never reopen. That's why American Family in cooperation with the Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) offers a variety of tools in its Open for Business® series for small business owners to both reduce their potential for loss should disaster strike and to reopen quickly should they be forced to close.

To get started building your own secure and personalize disaster recover plan, access the IBHS website and register through the interactive online version by entering the access code AMF5561

003003 – 02/08

Don't "Slip Up" When It Comes To On-site Safety

Full Article

Slips, trips, or falls account for 12 to 15 percent of all Workers' Compensation costs. Don’t let the safety efforts in your workplace slide; use the advice in this helpful and thorough article to help ensure that it’s your accident numbers, not your employees, that are falling.

002998 – 02/08

Step Up Maintenance for a Higher Level of Elevator Safety

Though fear of falling is the most obvious fear associated with elevators, most injuries occur when passengers enter or exit an elevator. Proper and regular maintenance and inspection can make a big difference. Read more and take elevator safety levels to new heights for your building or business.

Elevator Safety
More than 50 percent of elevator-related injuries occur when passengers enter or exit an elevator. The most common injuries are caused by tripping when an elevator is not level at a landing and being hit by malfunctioning closing doors. To ensure elevators operate safely, building maintenance personnel should monitor several elevator components. To avoid injuries and ensure proper operation, the following elevator components should be checked regularly:

Door reopening devices:

• Infrared safety curtains: These scan the area adjacent to the elevator door and automatically reopen the door when an object is detected. This is the most modern means of door protection.
• Electronic photo-eyes: These send out two or more fixed beams that cause reopening when a person or object breaks the beam.
• Mechanical edges: These devices must make physical contact with a person or object to trigger reopening.
• Elevator leveling: Elevators must stop at each floor within one-half inch of the floor landing.
• Emergency communication: Elevators, even older ones, should be outfitted with an alarm bell and telephone or intercom. If someone becomes trapped in an elevator, he or she is often reassured when he or she can speak to someone by telephone or ring an alarm that will draw someone’s attention. Anxiety is quickly alleviated when a trapped passenger knows that help is on the way.
• Emergency lighting: This is important to avoid leaving a trapped passenger in the dark as he or she waits for assistance.
• Elevator control buttons and indicator lights: Ensure these are working properly.

Elevator maintenance mechanics only visit on a scheduled monthly basis to perform routine maintenance or when called to address a specific problem. Therefore, building personnel are the first line of defense. With this in mind, it is imperative that accurate service information is available in the event that an accident occurs. Accurate record keeping is accomplished by following these simple steps:

• Maintain an elevator log book to record date, time and reason why a service call was placed to the elevator company.
• Require the elevator maintenance mechanic to leave a signed maintenance ticket detailing service performed. The mechanic should test all of the safety components noted above during routine monthly service calls.

Additional important safety checks:

• Elevator floor should be clean and free of slipping hazards.
• All elevator floor landings should be well lit.
• Nearby plants and furniture should not present a tripping hazard.
• Elevator should be clearly marked.
• Signs should be posted at each floor landing alerting occupants to use the stairs in case of a fire.
• Floor diagrams, oriented to indicate actual floor arrangement and direction, should be posted at each floor landing indicating the shortest evacuation routes.

- Source: American Family Loss Control

These recommendations were developed using generally accepted safety standards. Compliance with these recommendations is not a guarantee that you will be in conformance with any building code, federal or state regulation regarding safety or fire. Compliance with these recommendations does not ensure the absolute safety of your operation or place of business. It is the property owner’s duty to warn any tenants or occupants of the property of the safety hazards that may exist.

003002 – 02/08

Brace Your Garage Door Securely or Brace Yourself for Possible Damages

Full Article

Brace Your Garage Door Securely or Brace Yourself for Possible Damages

For many businesses, garage doors are the first line of defense for their most valuable assets. But if not braced securely, a single violent storm could cause buckling or gaps to form, which could lead to damage to the interior of your business. Read on for some simple ways to keep your doors safe and sound.

002993 – 02/08

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These recommendations were developed using generally accepted safety standards. Compliance with these recommendations is not a guarantee that you will be in conformance with any building code, federal, state or local regulation regarding safety or fire. Compliance with these recommendations does not ensure the absolute safety of your occupation or place of business. It is the property owner's duty to warn any tenants or occupants of the property of any safety hazards that may exist.

American Family Mutual Insurance Company and its Subsidiaries
Home Office - Madison , WI 53783
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© 2008