Insurance compensates a claim once it has happened – loss prevention makes sure there is nothing to compensate. The two aren't in competition: a well-protected site also meets the policy conditions better, and no compensation ever fully gives back the weeks lost after a claim.
- Most company claims come from four sources: fire, water, break-ins, electrical faults – each has a cheap prevention routine.
- The policy conditions also set out loss-prevention requirements – breaching them can affect compensation too.
- The tool for the routine is a twice-yearly walkthrough with a checklist: the premises self-check.
Fire and the electrical system
A significant share of fire claims are electrical in origin: an aged wiring system, overloaded extension leads, dust build-up on machine ventilation. The routine: keeping up with the required inspections of the electrical system (their existence will be a question at claim time!), ending the extension-lead culture, orderly storage of flammable materials, working and in-date fire extinguishers. Smoking rules and the habit of cutting power overnight also belong here – and they're free.
Water: the quiet repeat offender
Water damage is rarely dramatic and often repetitive: aged flexible hoses, a pipe freezing in an unheated storage area, a gutter clogged before heavy rain. The routine: periodically replacing flexible hoses, knowing where the main shut-off valve is (does everyone know?), frost protection before winter shutdown – see the off-season points in the seasonal-operations article – and keeping sensitive stock on pallets, not on the floor.
Break-ins and security
The terms of burglary/theft cover are typically tied to a level of security: what lock, grille, alarm is in place, and up to what value the insurer compensates. That is why security pays off twice: it reduces the risk AND is a condition for the cover to apply. The routine: knowing the level of protection required by the policy (reading the conditions), a system for handling keys and codes, maintaining the alarm, and proper storage of valuables and cash.
The walkthrough routine
None of this is a project – it's twice a year: a 20-minute structured walkthrough in autumn (before winter) and in spring – with a checklist, an owner, and photos. The ready-made list: premises self-check. Half the faults found can be fixed in ten minutes; the rest go into the maintenance plan. And at renewal, the result of the walkthrough pays off on the insurance side too: improved protection is an argument when putting cover out to competition – the annual review.
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This article is deliberately an overview: the detailed information – covers, exclusions, practical examples – lives on the area's own specialist site.
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