Your garden center and greenhouse are places people come to enjoy the beauty of plants and indulge their love of gardening. However, these facilities can introduce their share of safety hazards—from heavy equipment and inventory-filled racks to wet surfaces and cluttered walkways.
Taking a proactive stance on safety not only helps safeguard your customers and employees from accidents and injuries—it can help protect your business’s bottom line.
To help reduce your slip-and-fall risk at your garden center, prioritize daily maintenance and housekeeping, including:
| Keep floors clean and dry | |
| Address spills immediately | |
| Use mats or other non-slip surfaces in areas where water is likely to be present | |
| Repair any uneven or cracked surfaces | |
| Clear walkways of boxes, tools, and equipment—even hanging baskets, which take focus off the floor |
On a rainy day, visitors and employees at a garden center tracked water and mud onto an uncarpeted retail area. An employee walking across the retail area slipped and fell on the wet surface, resulting in injuries to her hip and shoulder, as well as closed-head trauma.
She suffered permanent partial disability to her hip and shoulder, requiring significant medical treatment. Healing problems resulted in a 25 percent disability rating, and her head injury led to a cognitive deficiency that prevented her from returning to her position. Between medical, disability, and retraining expenses, total costs for this case exceeded $825,000. The business also incurred uninsured costs for elevated insurance premiums, negative public image, and a punitive jury award.
The investigation identified gaps in maintenance of the tile flooring. The floor coverings routinely became oversaturated during wet weather, but the business had no procedures in place to change them as needed. Additionally, the business hadn’t taken steps to remind employees to wear proper footwear during wet weather.
No matter what safety procedures you have in place, accidents can still happen. Get an extra layer of protection for your business with umbrella insurance.
Hortica® brand property and casualty coverages are underwritten, and loss control services are provided, by Florists’ Mutual Insurance Company, Florists’ Insurance Service, Inc., Edwardsville, IL, or affiliated members of the Sentry Insurance Group. For more information, visit hortica.com. Policies, coverages, benefits, and discounts are not available in all states. See policy for complete coverage details.
The general information contained in this article is for informational or entertainment purposes only. The information in this article is provided “AS-IS” WITHOUT ANY WARRANTIES of any kind. Florists’ Mutual Insurance Company, its subsidiaries, or affiliates (Companies) do not accept any responsibility related to the content or accuracy of the information contained in this article. The information contained in this document is of a general nature, and neither that information nor the hypothetical loss example included in this document is intended to address the circumstances of any particular individual, entity, or set of facts. Legal obligations may vary by state and locality. Any use of this article or any third-party website linked to this article is at the risk of the user. THE COMPANIES ARE NOT LIABLE TO ANY PERSON OR ENTITY FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE THIS ARTICLE OR ANY THIRD-PARTY WEBSITE LINKED TO THIS ARTICLE. The views and opinions contained in third-party websites referenced in this article are the views and opinions of third-party authors and may not represent the opinions or policies of the Companies.
