The Value Of Legal Protection For A New Business

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StrategyDriven Risk Management Article |Legal Protection|The Value Of Legal Protection For A New BusinessAs an entrepreneur who has just taken off with a dream venture, startup growth is bound to be your top priority. You will want to stabilize your business early with the right steps at the right time. Arranging funds will be on top of your checklist, while you will also want to go the extra mile to secure the top talent in the industry. There is much more on a typical startup checklist, such as market research, product launch and promotional strategies, customer experiences management, and compliance.

With such a lot of work at hand, it is easy for entrepreneurs to overlook the legal aspects of running the startup. But it is the worst you can do because going slack with legal protection can land your business in deep trouble. It becomes all the more vital at the initial stage because the assurance of being on the right side of the law lets you focus only on growth. Let us highlight the value of legal protection for new businesses.

Good relationships with founders are vital

Most entrepreneurs cannot embark on the journey alone. It makes sense to collaborate with co-founders and partners to share risks and get support at the early stage. You also need to ensure good relationships with partners so that they stick with you for the long haul. Even if they want to part ways, they must do it amicably. Legal advice about founder contracts and agreements keeps your business in a safe place. The right language and clauses in the contract prevent misunderstandings and disputes with partners down the line.

Protection of intellectual property is essential

New businesses often sell unique ideas and products, which need to be copyrighted. You will also want to protect your brand logo and marketing collateral from infringement. Protection of intellectual property is not a choice for startups because losing it can take away your competitive advantage. Fortunately, the apt legal steps can help you safeguard these assets from competitors. Trademarks, patents, and copyrights protect your branding assets. You can go the extra mile with non-disclosure agreements with employees and contractors and confidentiality contracts with third parties.

Lawsuits can happen to any business

Another reason to prioritize legal protection at this stage is that the last thing you will want to encounter is a lawsuit. It can be expensive and cause reputational damage. Unfortunately, lawsuits can happen to any business these days. Slips and falls are common on business premises, while you may also come across a defective or dangerous product lawsuit. The risk runs high if you let your employees drive company vehicles. They may have an accident with a pedestrian or another driver and injure them. The victim can seek help from personal injury attorneys to file a massive compensation claim against your company. It is best to have legal guidance from an expert to handle such lawsuits or even avoid them through settlements.

Employee disputes can be a hassle

Startups need to steer clear of employee disputes too, but it is easier said than done. Multiple issues can cause a problem with your workforce. However, it is possible to secure your business against employee lawsuits if you have proper employment contracts at the time of hiring. Ensure that they have clauses related to leaves, appraisal, and termination so that there are no chances of disputes later. Also, cover contingencies like workplace injuries, occupational safety, and office harassment to stay on the right side of the law. Proper provisions for the employees will also enhance your reputation as an employer and boost employee retention in the long run.

Client disputes need to be handled

When you lack real-world business experiences, it is easy to get into trouble with contract disputes with clients, suppliers, and vendors. You may even face lawsuits without an intentional mistake or due to sheer lack of awareness. Clients may sue you for delays in delivery, while vendors and suppliers can bring claims for missed payments and deadlines. A focus on legal protection with clear and comprehensive contracts can provide significant coverage from such lawsuits. It is best to have your contracts drafted and checked by legal experts before you sign them.

Entrepreneurs need to focus on legal protection for their new business. While you must pay attention to other aspects of running the company, ignoring contracts and legal loopholes isn’t the right approach. Hiring a lawyer to handle these matters gives you peace of mind because they will have the right advice to safeguard your business from lawsuits in the first place. Even if someone files a suit, your lawyer will represent you and fight it out.

Hire an Attorney and Know Common Pedestrian Accident Injuries

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StrategyDriven Risk Management Article |Pedestrian Accident Injuries|Hire an Attorney and Know Common Pedestrian Accident InjuriesOne of the most devastating things about being involved in a pedestrian accident can be getting hurt or losing a loved one. No matter the circumstances, an accident can be distressing, especially when the cause is somebody’s wrongful act or negligence.

According to the Center for Disease Control, the United States foresees one person’s death every two hours due to a pedestrian accident. Around 2 million pedestrians are injured in this particular accident every year, resulting in severe injuries. Children, 5-9 years- old boys’ and the elderly are the most exposed to pedestrian accidents and suffer from catastrophic injuries.

Hit by a car? Well, you might be wondering if it’s possible to sue someone for hitting you with their car? Motor vehicle collisions can be devastating, and many families now file for compensations to cover the costs of damage. And, why not? If you or your loved one has been injured in a pedestrian accident, you want to take action for holding the other party responsible for their negligence. The accountability process becomes smoother when you hire an experienced attorney for your case. Law firms know what it takes to bring you justice.

Some of the most common types of injuries sustained by pedestrians after encountering a car accident are:

  • Traumatic Brain Injuries:

What happens when you get hit by a car? One of the most common injuries that pedestrians incur is traumatic brain injuries (TBI’s). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention define TBI as the disruption in normal brain functioning due to blow, bump, or jolt to the head or a penetrating head injury. The pedestrian accident attorney emphasized the head and brain injuries as the most life-altering. Some of the most common symptoms include dizziness, sensitivity, mood swings, depression, anxiety, coordination losses, and fluid leaking from the ear. Studies show that three million people visit emergency centers seeking treatments for TBIs, and that includes more than 837,000 injured children.

  • Broken bone and fractures:

These are other common injuries in automobile collisions. Pedestrians fracture their wrists, shoulders, back, legs, arms in accidents. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons shed light on the variation in fracture severities. Some severe bone breaks are known to occur, including compound fractures where the broken bones puncture through the skin. A person may suffer a complete or partial bone fracture and are most likely to cause long-term problems requiring amputations, in some cases.

  • Injuries in Soft Tissues:

Many injuries are known to involve soft tissues. These may be bruises, tears, dislocations, lacerations, and sprains. While many tissues heal with a little medical intervention, many others can cause pain and keep sufferers from engaging in everyday activities. Thus, soft tissue injuries can leave victims with scarring and other permanent issues, impacting their emotional well-being.

  • Pelvic Injuries:

Pelvic injuries are difficult and challenging to treat. These types of damages are so common in pedestrian accidents- all thanks to the average car hood’s shape. These hit in the right spot during immediate contact with the pedestrian.

  • Internal Injuries:

Medical professionals claim these injuries as the worst type since they are difficult to spot, let alone treating them in the first instance. Internal organ injuries, brain bleeds, rib fractures require immediate treatments. Some of these injuries may not show symptoms first, but the adrenaline may still run high.

  • Spinal Cord Injuries:

The spinal cord injuries can have life-threatening repercussions. Spinal cord is the part that transmits signals between the body and the brainA person’s ligaments, discs, vertebrae in a spinal cord or spinal column can lead to temporary or permanent paralysis.

  • Lacerations:

Depending on the laceration location and the depth to which it went, this type of injury is most likely to have lasting and painful consequences.

  • Amputations:

Sometimes the forces of high-impact accidents may have some lifelong repercussions on the body of the victim. These include the amputation of limbs such as toe, finger, leg, and arm.

  • Emotional Trauma:

Not all injuries are physical. Even if the victim doesn’t sustain permanent physical injuries, the chances of emotional trauma are quite evident. It can be a traumatic experience of being struck by a vehicle, which may be challenging to cope up.

  • Death:

Pedestrians struck by a vehicle have high death risks. It is the cause of not only the sheer vehicle size but lack of pedestrian protections also. There were around 4,735 pedestrian deaths in 2013, as per the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports.

The pedestrian injury depends upon the area hit and the car’s speed. He/she may either fall on the ground or be hit by some object like a building, some other vehicle, or into the windshield of the car or into the hood.

A pedestrian, if hit by a car traveling 15 miles per hour isn’t likely to sustain fatal injuries. However, being hit by a faster car has the possibility of severe injuries and the chances of death also increase. Lower extremity injuries can result in long-term mobility problems, and can be life-threatening.

How to keep pedestrians safe? Some Tips!

One of the best things for keeping pedestrians safe is following the laws. Florida statutes have some rules that one needs to abide for becoming a responsible pedestrian. These are:

  • Obey traffic controls to the best of your ability unless a police officer directs you to something else.
  • Pedestrians don’t have the permissions to walk or run onto the vehicle path.
  • The sidewalk must find its usage, if available.
  • Pedestrians must enter crossroads only at a right angle.
  • Pedestrians have the right of way whenever moving in a crosswalk.

What are the legal options available after an accident?

Injured pedestrians have the path of recovering by reaching out to qualified doctors and injury lawyers. Obviously, experienced doctors will help you to recover soon. As per the experts at georgiatrialfirm.com with experienced lawyers on your side, you can enjoy the bliss of catering to your pedestrian accident cases as soon as possible and determine the options and rights for pursuing a legal option.

After all, it’s all about more in-depth understanding and better case solutions!

How Damaging Can Air Leaks Be to Businesses if They are Not Detected Rapidly?

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StrategyDriven Risk Management Article |Air Leaks|How Damaging Can Air Leaks Be to Businesses if They are Not Detected Rapidly?Considering how much of an asset compressed air systems are to a wide range of industries, it’s a thing of wonder why any industry would be hesitant to monitor their machines for air leakages. It is estimated that $138m (£100m) is lost every year to air leaks in the UK, but it’s quite understandable why one would think that a tiny bit of air escaping won’t make so much of a difference to your business. Think again. Businesses could be losing as much as $832/year (£600/year) from a 0.1inch (3mm) hole.

Identifying air leaks is important because in addition to leaks being the source of wasted air/gas and therefore increased operating costs, they can also be the point of ingress for contamination to the system. Leaks will grow and worsen if restorative action is not taken, which means small leaks can quickly advance to high hidden costs.

How to Detect Leaks

Industrial machines have a high degree of background noise which can veil any obvious evidence of small leaks, making it difficult to understand the scale of leakage. This makes it a secret expense for its operators. Identifying and rectifying all the leak points will reduce operating costs and improve the delivered air/gas quality.

Learning if an air compressor is leaking is a critical aspect of its operation, here we provide some of the easiest ways to detect air leaks:

  • Listening for leaks is only possible during a shutdown when the entire system is so silent that massive leaks can be audible. Smaller leaks can be below the hearing threshold, making it difficult to hear the characteristic leaking gas hiss. However, this does not suggest that there are no leaks because even if leaks are heard, they can be very difficult to pinpoint, particularly in areas difficult to access.
  • Ultrasonic leak detectors enable testing of out of reach areas to determine if access is required to pinpoint leaks quickly. With a range of up to 8m, it allows operators to promptly survey gas distribution systems with detachable sensors to simplify testing in confined spaces.
  • The traditional direct method widely used is to wash over any suspected joints with a soap solution. If there are any leaks, bubbles will form and judging by the number and size of bubbles, and the technician can pinpoint the fault. While this is a straightforward method, it is very time-consuming as every joint has to be tested individually. There are also potential issues for contamination and corrosion.

Why You Need to Fix Leaks

Leaks do not just have detrimental effects on your annual energy expenses; they also decrease operating efficiency and cause productivity loss due to the inevitable drop in air pressure of the system. This could result in reduced equipment life and inefficient operation of tools that rely on compressed air.

Reasons why you should fix air leaks;

Inefficient Tools and Lower Productivity

Drops in air pressure resulting from leaks can significantly impact the productivity of machines by causing tools to operate inefficiently, which in turn creates an overall less-productive environment.

Reduction in Equipment Longevity

Considering that leaks cause a higher demand for airpower than what is typically needed, compressors need to cycle more frequently, which results in a decreased lifespan of your compressed air system. This could be very expensive. It can be avoided through routine maintenance and inspection, so leaks are identified and repaired.

Losses Due to Downtime

If your system is experiencing unnecessary demands, and maintenance is the result, you may be faced with downtime, which can severely hamper productivity — and eventually, profits.

To run a productive and profitable industrial facility, you must keep your air compressors working efficiently at all times. To that end, any air leaks that occur must be identified and fixed before such problems spiral out of hand.

Increased Production Cost

A poorly-operated compressed air system can cost more than water, electricity, steam or even natural gas. Air leaks also can slow a plant’s operation by using more power than necessary to supply compressed air.

Services You Need To Protect Your Commercial Property

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StrategyDriven Risk Management Article |Commercial Properties|Services You Need To Protect Your Commercial PropertyLooking after your commercial property takes a lot of work. Many responsibilities require your attention, and the to-do list is forever expanding.

Though the pandemic has inspired an uptick in virtual work environments, this does not mean that commercial environments will be flushed down the toilet completely. There will always be a need for them in one form or another. If you are heading up a business that cannot do without a base of operations, then looking after said base should ever be high on your agenda.
Still, certain services can ease the pressure here somewhat. Here are the ones you need to best protect your commercial property.

Water Damage Restoration Services

Commercial properties can suffer significant water damage from plumbing-related malfunctions or turbulent weathers. Depending on your location in the United States, you may be more susceptible to floods and storms also.

Still, there is no problem here that companies like PuroClean cannot fix. Armed with a flurry of positive customer testimonials, many of these comments specific how quickly this firm perform their services in times of crisis. They also use the newest advancement technology systems to clean, disinfect, and dry all your property, eliminating moisture across the board. Not only this, but they specify in mold removal, biohazard cleanup, and fire damage restoration services also, making them highly diverse in their respective field.

It is always a good idea to have the number of such services on file in the event of an emergency. Water damage can be incredibly damaging, as its presence can rot your commercial property inside and out. When these types of problems start to arise, dealing with them in a timely manner is absolutely essential, getting your company back on track as soon as possible.

Pest Control Services

Pest control is an incredibly important aspect of maintaining a commercial property. You will need to be ahead of the game here, as the mere sighting of any unwelcome beats is enough to cripple your reputation in the eyes of customers and clients.

Unfortunately, depending on your location and line of work, sometimes the appearance pests might be inevitable here and there. For example, rodent sightings can increase exponentially as soon as restaurants shut down, and during the pandemic era, this is obviously unavoidable to some degree. Therefore, pest control services can just help keep a lid on things, whether you are working at the commercial property or temporarily closed.

Ensuring that the workplace is both clean and tidy is the first solution to your pest problems. Make sure all bins are secure, and never at risk of overflowing. Still, everything that follows after that can simply be down to luck. Use expert services, like pest control frisco, and any problems that do arrive will be handled immediately.

Security Services

To truly protect your commercial property, you need to ensure everything is in good order even when you are not around. This is where security factors into things, enabling you to oversee everything that takes place in your workplace.

Security services can provide a plethora of technologies and staff members to help things along here. For example, at your request they may be able to deploy security guards and guard dogs. CCTV systems, hi-tech sensors, and a myriad of other resources could also be designed and strategically installed for maximum efficiency. There is really nothing like it.

The highlight of these types of services though is that the security they provide runs round the clock. 24-hour measures against any potential threats or concerns can be highly beneficial, their presence alone a deterrent against most common criminals. In the end, with these services nothing goes unnoticed on your premises, and you simply cannot put a price on that fact.

A Guide for Protecting Your Business Data

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StrategyDriven Risk Management Article | A Guide for Protecting Your Business DataThere are many threats to your business data on a daily basis. Taking the right steps to protect your business data in the best possible way will help your business to remain secure, and your operations fully protected.

Here is a guide on all you can do to make sure that your business data is protected.

Back Up Your Data on a Daily Basis

A huge threat to your data can be data loss, and it is very easily done. Even if you are completely careful with your business data and avoid human error, there are many reasons you could end up losing data if it is not backed up, such as computer viruses, system problems or even power failures.

Backing up your data at least once a day — ideally storing data offsite — will help your data to remain protected.

Implement Virus and Malware Protection Methods

Viruses, malware and other cyber crime will always be a threat to business data, and all you can do is put up the maximum defense measures to keep your data protected. This means installing the right anti-virus software and firewall protection.

When it comes to cyber crime, it is also about staying aware of any new or evolving threats. Training an internal team on how to recognize threats can help to increase your protection (such as how to identify a potentially threatening email or suspicious activity).

Be Secure When Sharing Data

Data sharing is when data can easily become compromised. If data is being shared in unsecure ways, this can risk data hacking or even lost data through human error.

A great method for ensuring safe data sharing — if your team needs to work together with data securely — is by implementing a data sharing solution you can trust, like the platform from ovatiotech.com. This means data can be regulated and shared through a secure software channel so that your team can comfortably manage data efficiently.

Make Updates a Regular Item on the Agenda

The technology you use in business and where you store your data will be able to work most efficiently when regularly updated. Outdated programs and systems will easily become more vulnerable.

For ease, you should try to install automatic updates so that updates can always be made when they need to be. If manual updates are preferable, be sure to create a schedule and reminders so that it is not neglected.

Dispose of Any Business Data Securely

Not all data needs to be kept, and there may come a time when you need to dispose of old business data. Even if the data is no longer relevant, it still leaves your business vulnerable if the data gets in the wrong hands.

If you have hard drives or data files to dispose of, be sure to use professional services to completely overwrite and remove any information, or understand how to successfully remove the data yourself, as most of the time simply deleting a file does not mean it cannot be recovered by an outside party if they gain access to a device.

Always take the right steps to fully protect your business data.