Centor News

Householders and businesses are advised to ensure that all gardening equipment and tools are secured so that they are safe from potential thieves and burglars.

Basic risk management practice dictates that when they are not in use, gardening equipment and tools should be kept in sheds or garages which are always locked, as they present would be intruders with the ideal implements with which to force access.

Burglars are always on the lookout for opportunities and leaving a shovel in the garden could provide them with the means to break into your home.

For those in a remote location or whose outbuildings do contain valuable equipment, it may be worth considering installing alarms on outbuildings.

From an insurance perspective, different policies have different conditions to cover items in sheds and outbuildings and it may be worth checking whether the level of cover you have is adequate to suit your needs.

If bicycles are kept in an outbuilding or locking the shed it is prudent to also lock the bike as an added deterrent. Bikes can be branded with the owner’s postcode as a further safeguard, which will help identify them if they are stolen. This service is now available at many cycle dealers.

For any further information regarding this topic please contact David Jacobsen (Claims Manager).

From 6^th April 2010 ’sick notes’ issued by doctors changed to ’fit notes’ and now focus on what an employee may be able to do rather than what they cannot do.

The new notes will include suggestions as to ways an employee could return to work by:

• a phased return to work
• flexible working
• amended duties
• workplace adaptations

However the advice on the fit note statement is not binding and is the employer’s choice, after discussions with the employee, whether or not to follow it. As employers’ liability insurance is compulsory, a policy will NOT exclude employees who may not be fit to work, whether they are returning to or remaining in work.

The statement of the doctor should still not be wilfully ignored as this could be used to support a legal case against the employer in the event of an incident. This could give rise to a claim which would in turn form a blot on the employer’s claims record.

For further information regarding this topic please contact Oriel Gavin (Associate Director)