How well is your community association prepared for an accident or emergency situation?

What can and should be done?

The "action plan"

How well is your community association prepared for an accident or emergency situation? For example, how do you respond if a resident, a visitor, or employee is injured? What do you do if your property is threatened by fire or you are faced with a bomb threat? What if someone is assaulted on your premises, or a crime is committed?

This "can’t happen" on your premises, you say? Or, you believe, that "this is why we have police and fire departments, it’s their job to handle these things". And, of course, "that’s why we have insurance", to cover the costs of such losses. To be sure, such situations may never occur on your property, and, yes, those are good reasons to have police, fire departments, and insurance.

We also know, however, that accidents still happen, and people suffer pain and death. Fires do occur, and can injure and kill. Criminals continue to conspire to steal, assault and kill, and even if caught, the violation to their victim remains. Insurance does pay for most of what accidents and injuries cost, but it cannot prevent or alleviate the physical or mental pain and suffering that results.

In addition, the costs associated with accidents involving personal injury and property damage can be a major factor in the overhead expenses for any business after figuring in both the direct costs (such as insurance premiums and deductibles) and indirect, or hidden costs (uninsured or under-insured expenses).

What can and should be done? To begin with, all community associations should have a proactive plan or program designed to control or eliminate those conditions and hazards that could cause or contribute to the cause of accidents and injuries. The development and implementation of a safety and loss control program tailored to address the needs of a common interest community will help reduce the possibility of injury or property loss to residents, guests and employees.

More specifically, the trustees, directors and officers of the association have accepted certain major responsibilities. Chief among these responsibilities is to ensure that the building and grounds are operated and maintained in a safe condition. Unit owners also have certain responsibilities to maintain a safe living environment for themselves, their families and guests, as well as other residents. The safety and loss control program, being the joint responsibility of the association, the building management and all unit owners, will help meet this obligation.

The purpose of a safety and loss control program, therefore, is to enable the association, and its management, to provide and maintain a safe living environment for residents and guests, and a safe and healthy workplace for employees.

For the safety program to achieve maximum benefits, the board of directors, trustees and officers of the association should issue a written statement of safety policy, directed to all unit owners, residents, and employees. The policy should clearly state and support (in language all will understand) the association’s commitment to a safe and healthy living and working environment. This policy will provide direction for the association in the safety and well being of all residents, guests and employees, through their safety activities and procedures.

A written "action plan" should then be developed and implemented that will include, but not be limited to, the following:

• Guidelines so every resident and employee will know what to do and who to notify in the event of an accident or injury on the premises.

• Guidelines for the investigation of all accidents and injuries to determine cause and take corrective action.

• Guidelines for handling maintenance problems and complaints quickly to reduce the chance they will cause an accident or produce a claim.

• Guidelines for a regular premises "self-inspection" procedure to detect unsafe conditions and identify potential hazards so that corrective action may be taken.

• Guidelines to handle emergency situations such as fire or a natural disaster, as well as actual or threatened acts of violence.

• A system for the early detection and warning of fire on the premises, and guidelines for the prompt notification of authorities.

• Guidelines for emergency building evacuation.

• Guidelines for the safe use and proper maintenance of swimming pools, saunas, spas, playground and exercise equipment, and other recreational facilities.

• A program to evaluate the level of security on the premises and provide for necessary corrective action.

• Guidelines for a preventative maintenance program to ensure that the building, exterior grounds including all walking surfaces, and all equipment and systems are kept in a safe condition.