Choose an insurance adviser for your business

There are a number of measures you can take to minimise your risks and keep your costs low, including effective health and safety, security and building protection.

Managing risks in your workplace can make it easier to obtain insurance, but it also makes good business sense. It can reduce costs that insurance does not cover including your insurance excess and the cost of replacing staff, sick pay, bad publicity, inconvenience and fines.

You should have effective health and safety policies and procedures in place to help ensure a safe working environment. See Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) guidance on risk assessments.

You can minimise other business risks by:

• ensuring that equipment and machinery is safe and in good repair
• ensuring you have all the necessary quality certification and licences
• using environmentally friendly and non-hazardous materials and equipment
• Training staff to follow correct health and safety procedures

Insurance record

Your previous insurance claims record may in part determine the size of the premiums you pay. In other words, if you have submitted a claim or claims in the past this may be reflected in the size of the premium the insurance company quotes.

It is essential to keep detailed records of accidents, risk assessments and equipment purchases, as insurance companies require documentary evidence if you do submit a claim. The clearer your records, the more likely it is that your claim will be accepted without difficulty.