Your typical day consists of many things - customer concerns, budgets, employee overhead and inventory management, to name a few. Customer and employee safety also ranks high on your list of items to control, so you take measures to make your workplace safe and as free from accidents as possible.
But what happens when things don’t quite go as planned?
Despite how proactive you are, accidents happen, and the ones outside of your store can be serious.
Between 2014 and 2017, 24% of storefront crashes occurred at retail stores in the U.S.; 23% in a commercial building; 19% at restaurants; and 7% at convenience stores. 56% of all of those accidents often happen due to operator and pedal error.
What does all of this add up to?
According to the Rob Reiter and the Storefront Safety Council, these accidents happen roughly 60 times a day, injuring up to 4,000 and killing 500 people annually.
60 crashes a day doesn’t seem like a lot, but think about the impact of a car hitting a store. That’s a crash through the window; a pedestrian getting hit; shelves and product being knocked over. The impact is severe.
Plus, you are held liable for crashes that take place in your store. The Storefront Safety Council estimated that, in 2015, $100 million dollars was paid out in claims following storefront accidents.
The good news is, it doesn’t have to be that way.
2 Ways to Prevent Storefront Crashes
Rearrange Your Parking Lot
Though not an ideal, or easy, solution, this is something you can consider. Take a look at how your current parking lot is structured. Does your type of store require cars to pull right up to a window or door? Are the spots too close together, leaving lots of room for accidents? Is there only one way in or out, making it difficult for cars to maneuver around each other?
All of these scenarios could be setting you up for a storefront crash. It may be worthwhile to think about a redesign in the future.
But if you are looking for a permanent solution you can implement right now - safety bollards are it.
Install Safety Bollards
Bollards, like McCue’s CrashCore, are designed to prevent accidents and keep stores safer. These short posts set up outside of store locations are used to keep traffic out of designated areas.
But not all bollards are created equal. McCue’s are made out of EDPM, stainless steel, and a high-strength steel core which makes them more effective than traditional concrete-filled ones. Their patent-pending shock-absorbing core keeps customers safer, while the steel core and stainless steel shell work together to absorb energy.
McCue’s have also been crash-tested and are proven to stop vehicles up to 5,000 lbs.
When you are considering a bollard installation, it’s important to do your research on the materials used and the impact it can protect against. Bollards are only as good as the crashes they can prevent, so you want to make sure they are strong and built to last.
Storefront crashes are real and are happening every day. Don’t be held liable for an accident at your store. They are preventable, you just have to know what to do and where to look.
Get in touch with us by calling 978-219-5282 or emailing safetybollard@mccue.com if you’re interested in learning more about CrashCore.
