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How four contractors from across Canada reduce their risk of slip-and-fall claims BY JORDAN WHITEHOUSE WINTER IS COMING, and so are those slip-andfall lawsuits. According to the latest numbers from the Canadian Institute for Health Information, slips and falls led to nearly 9,000 hospitalizations last winter. That was more than twice the number for hockey, skating, skiing, snowmobiling, and tobogganing injuries combined. The bad news for snow and ice contractors is that all of those falls mean the potential for liability claims, not to mention higher insurance premiums every year. One contractor from Oshawa, Ont., last year reported a 400 per cent increase in premiums after one slip-and-fall 8 | AUGUST 2020 | LANDSCAPE TRADES
claim. Another in the Toronto area said her premiums went up $10,000 last winter, even though she had never made a claim. The good news, however, at least for those who can still afford the premiums, is that there are more tools than ever to help ensure properties are serviced to the letter of the contract. From business management software to GPS technology to weather cams, here is how four contractors from across Canada keep tabs on their properties and reduce the risk of those liability claims even reaching litigation.
