The Security Industry and Assault
Of the many liabilities within the security industry, be it security for a commercial area or for private homes, assault is a possibility that should not be ignored. While it is a worry within an industry that deals in the protection of people or assets, with the right training and preparedness procedures, your business’s employees can rest assured that their needs will be met.
As cited by Central Insurance Agency, there are numerous coverages that are often a necessity for business within the security industry:
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General Liability
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Umbrella/Excess Liability
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Workers Compensation
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Professional Liability
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Assault and Battery
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Client Property coverage
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Crime coverage
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Commercial auto
In particular, it is important to look at your businesses policies, procedures, and training when it comes to assault and battery.
If an employee of yours has been assaulted on the job, there are some crucial steps to take in order to ensure their safety, as well as internal security and a continuation of operations. This is not so much a contingency plan as it is proper procedure when an incident of this nature occurs.
First and foremost, a thorough investigation should take place, including documentation to the extent possible. A security officer’s activity log can be a crucial piece of evidence during matters of assault, though these are not always applicable at every job site.
Another important step is interviewing all employees and witnesses present. Interviews mixed with any possible surveillance recordings will allow for you as a business to understand the situation in a more complete manner. Thorough documentation should follow, and hopefully further measures can be taken to ensure that such an incident will not happen in the future.
Following what may be considered tedious, such as thorough documentation (though this is of course a crucial step in the process), management should take appropriate action. Assault is serious, and can bring not only physical, but mental harm to a security employee. In cases where employees are not at fault, it is important to consider their wellbeing, and to review procedures so that such incidents can be mitigated.
The security industry is full of potential liabilities, so it is up to the right coverage plan to keep your business properly insured. The expert general insurance brokers at Central Insurance Agency can help with this process, creating tailor-made policies for you.