Accident Books

You will need at least one first aid box with an accident book, ideally attached, and an incident book (large desk diary) to record any incidents that would not go into an accident book. These are to record any suspect event which may lead to a possible claim, where no injury has occurred. If you ask a drunk or near drunk to leave, see them right off the premises and record the name, time and that there was no injury. They have an incredible ability, if you do not check them, to fall over your door step and break a leg. A year after a visit to my pub, one person claimed that he had fallen over in my bar to a “No win no fee” solicitor. He had, in fact, fallen over in his flat where he was a steward in a club. The club had already paid him compensation for injuring himself on their premises, the Secretary told me six months later. At this moment in time, the “No win No Fee” solicitors know that some of the insurance companies will pay out under £3000 on a claim rather than contest it, which will cost far more if they do. However, if you can prove that you are duly diligent with an accident book full of minor injuries, however small, (if anyone takes a plaster for a fresh cut, for example), you can better defend yourself. Regrettably a lot are spurious claims because they know that you have an insurance policy. If someone falls over in the road outside your property, put a note in your diary describing the accident and stating “nothing to do with the pub.” I have had two incidents where the solicitors have sent a claim in to the local authority and a claim in to the pub on the assumption that they would both pass them on to their insurance companies. Fortunately, neither succeeded against the pubs. Always bear in mind that the more claims that you have on your insurance the higher the premium and in some cases they will not insure you.