Church Property Insurance: Spring Safety Tips
Each spring, churches should take this opportunity to look over their church property and perform much-needed maintenance of their church buildings and property.
Maintaining our church properties, allows for people within your community to know you care about your people and the local community the church is a part of.
Don’t let your church fall behind in its needed maintenance. Be the light of your community and not the eyesore of the block.
A little cleaning up around a church, can go a long way at making good first impressions.
Integrity Now Insurance Brokers, has compiled a list of projects churches should consider undertaking this spring.
These spring safety tips are a great starting place to help keep your church looking great.
Interior Church Spring Safety Tips
- Carpet cleaning and repairs. After winter brought rain and snow, your carpets could use some refreshing. Cleaning the dirt and grind, food stains from a Christmas celebration feast, is the perfect time to make your carpet look like new. Any carpet that may need to be replaced due to tears, should also be looked at to reduce slip and fall related accidents. Not only is this a good spring safety tip, your church liability insurance company will thank you!
- Wash your windows. It’s no secret, windows get dirty and need to be cleaned. A good annual spring cleaning of your church’s windows is a quick way to brighten up the place. Knock off the dust and figure prints on the inside of your windows, and spray down the outside windows with a sponge, bucket of soap, and a water hose. Take your time and inspect your windows for cracks that need to be repaired.
- Check roof leaks which caused interior damage. We have seen many churches with water stains on their ceilings, walls, and floors. Implementing a spring safety check can eliminate wood rot that can develop with years of neglect. If you have not already done so, call your local licensed roofer, to fix or replace your leaky roof. Replace any ceiling tiles and clean and re-paint any interior damage.
- Replace batteries in smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors. Talk about a great spring safety tip, this needs to be a top priority for every church. If your smoke and fire alarms are not hardwired in, make sure you are replacing the batteries annually. Spring and fall are two good times to check and replace batteries in these safety devices. A working fire alarm protects the lives of your church members.
- Inspect fire extinguishers. Churches are considered commercial buildings. As such, they are required to have an appropriate amount of fire extinguishers throughout their church buildings. It is important to verify if the annual inspection tag is current, and if not to call and schedule for an inspection right away. Add this to your spring safety checklist.
- Inspect heating and air conditioning. Hire a licensed HVAC contractor to perform an annual inspection and tune-up on your central heating and air-conditioning system. This includes, changing out filters, inspecting the inside and outside unit for cleanliness, adjusting the thermostat, and inspect and clean ducting.
- Interior Paint. Church walls can get dirty and worn out. Adding a fresh coat of interior paint, can make any church buildings look new again.
Exterior Church Spring Safety Tips:
- Check weatherstripping and caulking. Weatherstripping can wear out and will need to be replaced. Inspect your churches windows and doors to ensure they have the appropriate amount of weatherstripping in place to keep moisture and cold air out. We recommend using caulking and weatherstripping, that can be painted over.
- Inspect church walkways and stairs for trip hazards. As the weather warms back up, many churches tend to see an increase in foot traffic. Take this time to inspect and clear away any items that may have been left behind and could present a fall hazard. People who have disabilities, may find it difficult to navigate around these objects. Consider ways to make your church more handicap accessible. Removing power cords, boxes, and other objects away from frequently traveled walkways will help keep your church members and visitors safe. This is a spring safety must!
- Request an electrical inspection. A spring safety electrical inspection can prevent a church fire. Many fires are caused by an electrical failure. With the added electronics, our electrical lines have been put under tremendous stress. Call a licensed electrician and have them conduct an electrical inspection. They need to look for any obvious signs of electrical concerns, that need to be fixed to prevent a fire. Your church insurance agent can provide you with the appropriate inspection form. Once completed and all is in order, return over the form back to your insurance agent. They will provide it to the church insurance company for their files.
- Inspect your church’s plumbing for rust and leaks. The average lifespan of your plumbing lines is 40 years. This means some plumbing lines will fail years prior and some will last longer. Due to the large number of people who use a churches water and plumbing lines, it is even more critical for churches to inspect for leaks, stoppages, and rusty pipes. Check your water heater for any signs of damage, under sinks in the kitchen and bathrooms for signs of leaks and inspect your baptismal to ensure it is functioning properly.
- Roof Inspection. Hire a licensed roofer to inspect your roof, to ensure they are weather tight. A spring safety check, can prevent your roof from collapsing in onto the people inside. It is important to have your flat roofs inspected annually for cracking and needed repair work, as their lifespan is much shorter than a shingle roof. Insurance companies deny claims related to failure to properly maintain a flat roof at a much higher rate than a pitched roof. This is why it is extremely important to have an annual spring safety inspection from a licensed roofer.
- Inspect church parking lot. Parking lots take on a lot of abuse. It is important for parking lots to be from of large cracks and potholes. These are not only trip hazards, but they make it difficult for people with handicaps to navigate around.
- Fresh Exterior Paint. Does your church have wood that is chipped, cracked, and peeling away? Seek out help from your youth and have a paint party. For larger jobs which require wood replacement due to wood rot and termite damage hire a professional painter.
We Are Here To Help With Your Needed Spring Safety Tips
Integrity Now Insurance Brokers helps churches with their insurance and risk management needs.
We are a nationwide church insurance agency, and we have helped thousands of churches obtain the needed coverages at a reasonable price.
We are here to help your organization reduce church related accidents, through property spring safety checks.
Our church insurance brokers have over 20 years of experience working with churches, and tailoring a church insurance program specifically designed for them.
If you are looking for insurance for small churches, we have a church insurance plan we can implement for you.
Check out which states we can provide church insurance services for.
One of our church insurance specialist are waiting to hear from you. Fill out our online quote form or give us a call today.
