X
skip to main content
Workplace Health & Safety

Reduced occupancy and premises shutdown

11/2021
empty building

Managing the risk

While having a sparsely attended property is never a desirable situation some basic steps can be taken to reduce the hazard until it is returned to regular occupancy.

The following should be considered:
 

  • Exterior and interior security
  • Decommissioning and recommissioning protocols
  • Building condition monitoring
  • Fire Protective system supervision and maintenance
  • Building plant and equipment supervision and maintenance
  • Review of risk management protocols

 

Exterior areas

  • Implement enhanced exterior security including physical measures and guarding protocols
  • Remove all excess materials and combustibles such as rubbish bins and idle pallets from around the building
  • Trim and maintain vegetation to prevent overgrowth
  • Check the roof for vegetation growth, clogged drains or signs of vandalism
  • Maintain exterior lighting to deter crime or vandalism

 

Internal areas

  • Provide intrusion, fire and liquid leakage detection for unattended areas. Detection systems should signal to a constantly attended location or monitoring service
  • Ensure that safety related equipment (including emergency lighting, fire extinguishers, etc.) is maintained in an operable condition
  • Minimise the quantities of combustible materials on-site. Hazardous materials should be removed from the premises
  • Valuable items should be removed or secured in dedicated controlled
  • Interior doors should be closed and secured where applicable

 

Risk management protocols

  • Decommissioning of building services may be considered but should not expose the facility to heating, fire and or security protection outages
  • Recommissioning plans should be established
  • Maintenance protocols for protective systems (including sprinklers, fire alarms, fire doors, intrusion alarms, CCTV systems, etc.) should continue to be in accordance with recognised standards and manufacturers recommendations. Deviations from normal protocols should be agreed in advance with Chubb Risk Engineering Services
  • Machinery and equipment should be decommissioned in a controlled manner to minimise the risk of damage and facilitate future recommissioning. Plans for appropriate maintenance regimes (including statutory and preventative requirements) should be established. It may be necessary to catch up on deferred maintenance prior to recommissioning
  • Plans should be established for reduced staffing at monitoring services, security guarding, emergency response and support for previously established response procedures
  • Contingency plans for utility and infrastructure failure or availability limitations should be reviewed
  • Building inspection protocols should be maintained, with at least weekly inspections of unattended areas recommended
  • Critical hygiene and pest control protocols should continue to be maintained
  • Protective systems impairments should continue to be reported to Chubb via email at fireimpairment.hk@chubb.com

 

Checklist

Premises shutdown checklist

 

Use this checklist to ensure your premises is shutdown correctly.

© 2022 Chubb. All rights reserved.

No part of this article may be reproduced in any written, electronic, recording, or printed form without written permission of Chubb.

Disclaimer - All contents of this article are intended for general information/guidance purposes only and not intended to be an offer or solicitation of insurance products or personal advice or a recommendation to any individual or business of any product or service. This article should not be relied on for legal advice or policy coverage and cannot be viewed as a substitute to obtaining proper legal or other professional advice, or for reading the policy documents. You should read the policy documents to determine whether any of the insurance product(s) discussed are right for you or your business, noting different limits, exclusions, terms and conditions apply in each country or territory, and not all cover is available in all countries or territories.

Contact us
Contact us

Have a question or need more information?

Contact us to find out how we can help you get covered against potential risks