Commercial Water Damage Preparedness

6/15/2017 (Permalink)

water damage in a commercial environment

Water Damage Tips For Office Buildings

Water damage is a threat to the safety of occupants, and the finances of the owners. This is true not just of residential homes, but also of commercial buildings. In the Winchester, VA that means plenty of warehouses, retail stores, banks, and the other commercial structures. In times of severe rain or plumbing failure this damage could even stop your business from performing daily tasks, which halts daily business, causing you to lose money!

That’s why we are going over some basic preventative and responsive measures that are considered best practices for tenants of commercial buildings. By practicing these measures you can get back to business quickly.

Preventative Measures

To help minimize the damage done from water leaks in a commercial environment, make sure to educate your office managers on water damage preparedness. This includes having them learn how to turn off the water, electric, and gas supply. If they do not have access to such things, then they should know who to call to have them turned off. In the event of a burst pipe you want to stop the water from flowing as quickly as possible to prevent further damage.

It’s also a good idea to have some basic tools in the office in the event of an emergency, as well as a list of emergency contact phone numbers for all employees. Of course, you should already have the contact information for your local fire and police numbers, so that anyone who is injured can get medical attention if needed.

Response

As with residential structures, rapid response is critical to water damage in an office. The longer water stays in an environment like drywall or carpet, the more of a chance there is that it will be affected by mold, which is another problem altogether.

The best course of action is:

1. Call a plumber to fix the source of the loss;
2. Call SERVPRO of Winchester to remediate the damage.

Of course, you can call your insurance first, but remember, we are also experts at the insurance side of damages as well, and can help you get the best coverage, so you may call us to work with your insurance as well.

At SERVPRO of Winchester we are the leaders of commercial water damage restoration. Contact us today to learn more!