Why Snow Removal Industry Standards Were Created
It’s no secret that lawsuits can surround the snow removal industry. This is the pivotal reason industry standards have been carefully researched and set into motion for the very best snow removal companies. Standardized procedures and training help reduce accidents, lawsuits, and they also give clients faith that they are hiring the best snow and ice management company.
Slip and Fall Lawsuits
According to the Accredited Snow Contractors Association (ASCA) in 2011, $500 million in insurance premiums were paid by snow and ice management companies nationwide. In that same year, the insurance industry paid out $1 BILLION in claims for those companies. Many of those claims were from slip and fall lawsuit settlements related to snow and ice management.
Just like the “Hot Coffee” McDonald’s lawsuit, many slip and fall lawsuits are considered frivolous claims. However, the insurance industry had little power to fight back and would usually wrap up these lawsuits with small settlements. Individually, $15,000 – $20,000 settlements make financial sense for the insurance carrier, however added together the sum total is a huge problem for snow and ice management companies and clients nationwide.
Originally ASCA created the first set of written snow and ice management Industry Standards. Then in January 2014, The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) — a private non-profit organization that oversees the development of voluntary consensus standards for products, services, processes, systems, and personnel — accredited these standards under ISO 9001 / SN 9001 certification.
Benefits to Hiring a ISO 9001 / SN 9001 Snow Removal Company
ISO 9001 / SN 9001 companies have:
- Documented processes and procedures and can prove them
- A quality policy, manual, and control their documents and records (vital in a slip-and-fall claim)
- A management team committed to the quality management system
- Effective communication policies in place
- A process in place to review the quality management system on an on-going basis
- A process in place to manage resources, service quality, and measure results.
- An ongoing plan to continually improve
- ANSI/ASCA Industry Standards
Hiring an ISO 9001 / SN 9001 certified snow removal company provides you the assurance that they have the processes and procedures in place to get the job done. And in the event of a slip and fall lawsuit, they will have the proper documentation in place to validate what happened on your property at a specific date and time. Sneller had it’s snow removal systems ISO certified in 2015, becoming the first Michigan snow removal company to receive certification. If you are looking for the best snow removal services in Grand Rapids or Lansing, MI please contact us.