Beall Brewery Insurance reports that slips, trips and falls (STF) is the most frequent craft brewery loss, according to data from The Hanover Insurance Group.

While STF is an important risk for all business-owners to manage, for craft brewery management the situation is particularly complicated. So many different populations may enter the brewery. These include customers, tour-goers, outside contractors, and—of course—employees. Physical hazards common to craft breweries heighten the physical risk. These include wet or slippery floors, elevated platforms, different types of floor surfaces, and changes in floor elevation.

How to protect everyone entering your craft brewery from slipping or tripping and falling? These tips will give you a great start in reducing your craft brewery risk.

Manage STF Craft Brewery Risk

• Install railings to protect people when walking on stairways or on elevated surfaces.
• Place cones in areas where the floor is wet.
• Install signs to alert people to changes in floor elevation. Signs should also prohibit unauthorized personnel from entering potentially hazardous areas of the brewery.
• Paint lines on the floor to indicate where visitors may go—and where they may not.
• Recommend that brewery staff wear shoes that will have friction against slippery floors.
• When working with outside contractors and vendors:

1. Obtain a certificate of insurance for their general liability, business auto, and workers compensation coverage
2. Request to be added as an additional insured on their general liability and business auto policy
3. Request a waiver of subrogation for their workers compensation coverage.

For more than 25 years, Beall Financial and Insurance Services, Inc., has been helping corporations and individuals protect their most important assets. The agency’s client base covers a spectrum of niche businesses, such as craft breweries, that require specialized insurance packages and knowledge. With California offices in Redlands and Newport Beach, Beall Financial and Insurance Services serves clients nationwide.