By William Coleman
2020 has started with quite a lot of storms that have left a lot of homes and businesses in a terrible state. We now seem to have put that extreme weather in our rearview mirror but have they left some unseen issues that will come to light throughout the year?
Over the past 3 months storms Ciara and Dennis wreaked havoc all over the UK, they even took the roof off of my house and flooded almost every room. During these rising water levels and high winds a lot of parks have taken a bit of a beating that may see some long lasting hidden damage which owners maybe, innocently, totally unaware of.
With these hidden dangers comes risks to the safety of both employees and holiday makers, warned safety consultants. Along with property damages comes the potential for guests to raise negligence claims should these concealed issues cause harm.
AD Safety Solutions Ltd, which is now an accredited associate member of the British Holiday & Home Parks Association, have raised this as a concern for parks across the UK, especially those most affected by recent adverse weather conditions.
Director Alaric Little said his company had already found evidence of damage on clients’ parks which is consistent with the effects of extreme weather.
Unless remedied, he said, a business could be accused of ignoring its “duty of care” under the Occupiers Liability Act – even though the park owner was entirely innocent of knowingly putting employees and visitors at risk:
“Many parks may have breathed a sigh of relief that their property escaped any real fall-out from the storms which lashed the UK this year,” he said.
“But we have found impacts such as damage to trees, lighting, paving, roofs, drainage systems and roads which are not immediately apparent to the naked eye.
“Even a tree branch which has been bent down by the gales and now hangs less than 17.5 feet above a road could be the basis for an action under Highway Law.”
“That’s why we are urging all holiday and residential parks to prioritise a professional inspection of their grounds as soon as possible,” said Alaric.
His Somerset-based business works with parks and other leisure business across the country, and provides expert identification and analysis of all types of risk.
AD Safety Solutions Ltd also helps clients draw-up and implement inspection policies and regimes that will help protect businesses from possibly financially damaging third-party claims.
Alaric himself draws upon 16 years of providing safety guidance within local government highways departments as well as industry service providers and contractors.
Other members of the company’s team also have experience in helping businesses remain compliant with the ever-evolving regulations and laws governing their premises.
The company’s expertise, says Alaric, can be tailored to the needs of both smaller owner-managed parks and larger park operations with multiple facilities.
