Protecting Your Commercial Property

9/19/2018 (Permalink)

PROTECT YOUR COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS FROM WATER DAMAGE:

Turn off Water Valves to Prevent Damage in Commercial Buildings

When water damage occurs in a multi-story building such as office buildings or hotels, turning off the water supply at the main valve is vital to avoid additional damage. Identify where the broken pipe is located to determine if a water valve is near the source rather than on a lower floor or utility closet. Turning off water valves as quickly as possible prevents primary damage to surfaces in addition to secondary damage from mold and mildew. Business owners can prevent slow leaks in buildings by tracking water bills each month and maintaining safety protocols in boiler and water heater rooms.

Avoid Business Interruption to Prevent Financial Losses

Preventing extensive property damage also helps to avoid business interruption loss along with the possibility of creating liability claims from nearby property owners, tenants or guests. Maintenance personnel in businesses are responsible for turning off the main water valve during normal hours of operation before beginning remediation services. However, when leaks happen at unusual times such as during the night or on weekends, tenants, employees and managers do not know what to do.

Important Emergency Water Damage Guidelines

Having a SERVPRO of Harrisonburg/Rockingham County Emergency Readiness Plan (ERP) in place at businesses can help to reduce losses. 

Visually Inspect the Property:

At least once a month, assess various areas of a building to look for signs of moisture from leaking pipes and fixtures. Check water distribution systems, including bathroom fixtures, kitchen plumbing and drinking fountains, especially devices that are old and degraded. Keep a record of plumbing fixtures that are prone to having frequent failures such as galvanized or steel pipes and connectors. Inspect decorative water fountains, swimming pools and hot tubs at the same time. Understand the particular areas of a property that do not have drainage systems such as parking garages. In a water leak emergency, lower levels of a building without drains require portable or fixed sump pumps.

Step Two: Mitigation Plans

By having a SERVPRO of Harrisonburg/Rockingham County Emergency Readiness Plan can help establish SERVPRO of Harrisonburg/Rockingham County as your mitigation company of choice. We will have the information we need to begin a timely dry-out to reduce any secondary damage that may occur. It also allows for the creation and implementation of a loss mitigation plan for employees to follow when a disaster occurs.
The ERP will include a map or diagram showing the location of water shutoff valves and exactly how to close the devices. Pictures of the shut-off values will also be included. If a building has a sprinkler system for fires, then it is often necessary to turn off these devices to avoid damage from water or chemicals. For confidential or sensitive areas of a building, make a list of the designated employees who can enter the space.

Step Three: Emergency Contact List

A SERVPRO of Harrisonburg/Rockingham County Emergency Readiness Plan will contain an up-to-date 24-hour emergency contact list with names and telephone numbers for:

• The business maintenance staff
• Plumbers
• Electricians
• Tenants
• Local water company after-hours number
• Water mitigation service vendors such as SERVPRO of Harrisonburg/Rockingham County
• Building agent or broker

A business interruption plan should be standard procedure for any commercial building. The SERVPRO of Harrisonburg/Rockingham County ERP works well with any existing plan and the app allows the managers to have all this information in the palm of their hands.

Call SERVPRO of Harrisonburg/Rockingham County at (540) 433-6100 for your no cost Emergency Readiness Plan.

http://bit.ly/Mf71ty