5 Tips to Make Your Small Business Safer and More Secure This Winter

Winter can take a heavy toll on even the most well-prepared business. From winter storms to slip, trips, and falls, it’s good to be prepared whether you’re a company of five or 50. Here are a few tips you can use to help keep your small business safer and more secure this season.

1. Use commercial rugs and mats

Commercial rugs and mats may not be the prettiest, especially if you’re running a small shop like a boutique. But these rugs are essential. Slips and falls are the number one cause of accidents in restaurants, hotels, and public buildings. These accidents only increase during the winter season when slush likes to cling to your boots.

2. Check your insurance coverage

If you’re operating a brick-and-mortar store or renting out an office space, it’s important to know what your business insurance covers. This is because not all insurance policies will cover every type of winter-related disaster. For instance, your insurance might cover flooding in the event that your pipes freeze and burst, but it might not cover roof damage from ice dams. To protect your assets, consider reaching out to the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS), which is a partner of the Small Business Association (SBA).

3. Make sure your security system can handle the cold

While the U.S. police force is expected to increase by 41,400 officers by 2022, your first line of defense against potential break-ins at your business will always be your security system. Unfortunately, security systems aren’t always made to handle the cold. Make sure to check the owner’s manual to get a better idea of how your security cameras and system operate in cold climates. Your security camera’s enclosure ought to have an IP (Ingress Protection) rating of IP66 or higher.

4. Check the weather-resistance of your safe

Many businesses use private security safes to protect store assets. However, while a safe might be able to keep someone from breaking into it and stealing your assets, it might not be able to keep your assets safe from disaster. The last thing you want is for your office to flood and ruin important documents, money, and more. Check to make sure that your business safe isn’t just waterproof but is able to withstand floods and total immersion. It’s also a good idea to check whether your safe is fireproof as winter is also the number one season for fires.

5. Update your security software

With a greater number of people working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic to avoid spreading illness in-office during the colder months, experts expect an influx of cybercrime. To protect your business’ information and the information of your customers, make sure to update your security software regularly to keep malware and hackers from wiggling their way into the system.

It’s no secret that winter can wreak havoc. But by following the tips above, you can better protect your small business against both weather-related and crime-related problems this season.