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Four Critical Areas to Reduce Church Related Accidents

Churches of all sizes can use help with being able to reduce church related accidents. Let’s face it: accidents happen, and that’s why we carry Insurance.

We have inspected countless church buildings and properties when helping churches identify ways to reduce accidents.

While church property insurance is one way to transfer risk from the church to the church insurance company, this does not eliminate or reduce church-related accidents.

When evaluating your church property, having a fresh pair of eyes looking over everything is nice. Having someone new look over your church premises increases the likelihood of noticing items that need correcting.

Four Areas to Inspect on Your Church Property To Reduce Church-Related Accidents

Parking Lots and Walking Surfaces – Church members and visitors slipping and falling on your property is the leading cause of injury and church insurance claims. Ensuring that building entrances and parking areas have adequate lighting is essential. As you walk the grounds, do you notice any uneven surfaces, potholes, and hazards that cause someone to be injured? Identifying hazards such as unpainted parking stops, speed bumps, and curbs and taking corrective action can help reduce church-related accidents in the future.
Drainage – Before your next weather-related event, check your church drainage systems to help prevent water damage. Have a handyman inspect gutters, downspouts, and eaves to ensure they are clear of debris and functioning properly. An adequately installed downspout should extend at least six feet away from buildings. Ensure downspout extensions are clearly visible and pointing away from where people walk. Downspouts flooding walkways could cause church members to slip and fall, so plan as you design your downspout drainage. In-ground drainage pipes should be checked for proper drainage.
Building Surface Maintenance – Inspect your church building to ensure they are in good shape from an appearance perspective. Essential church maintenance can help reduce church related accidents that can become an insurance claim related to property damage. This includes inspecting the tuck-pointing on masonry walls annually and ensuring that siding, trim, eves, caulking around windows and doors, and paint are all in excellent condition. Cracks in walls and the building foundation can be signs of a more severe issue, such as structural hazards.
Roof and Trees – Churches should have their roofs and trees inspected by a licensed contractor annually. If your roof is missing or has damaged shingles, this can be your first sign of possible trouble. A licensed roofer will inspect for inadequate flashing or caulking around vents and bell towers. A proactive approach can help prevent water damage, including rotten wood, damaged interior and exterior walls, or stains on interior ceilings. Water damage can interrupt church services and potentially disrupt offerings. Hiring an arborist to inspect and maintain your trees and shrubs to ensure they don’t have the potential to cause damage to a church building or a member’s vehicle. An arborist can also inform your organization if a tree’s root system can cause plumbing or structural problems in the future.

When your church takes these four proactive steps each year, they help reduce church-related accidents and the possibility of having an insurance claim. Our goal should be to help protect people and our church property.

We Are Here To Help You Organization Reduce Church Related Accidents

Nothing is better than having a true church insurance partner by your side. Integrity Now Insurance Brokers has the expertise to help your church better plan and prevent losses.

It is important that your church buildings are insured with church insurance providers that have the risk management experience to help your church. As your church insurance brokers, we have access to an inspection checklist to make your job easier.

We are not here to advise but to provide you with the necessary resources.

We at Integrity Now Insurance Brokers can help place your church with the best church insurance companies. Our professional agents help churches in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, Ohio, Texas, and Washington get the best health insurance they need for their church’s employees. Thanks to our experience, we offer various services, including church property insurance, church liability insurance, church building insurance, workers’ compensation insurance for churches, and more.