If you own a business, you know that it’s just not possible to protect everyone’s safety all the time. You also know that for your business to survive and thrive, you have to do everything possible to protect your customers, tenants and employees, as well as reduce the risk of liability on your premises — including installing a business alarm system.
Without the right security measures in place, if someone gets hurt on your property and sues you, not only will you suffer financial loss, your reputation will also suffer.
There are any number of reasons business owners can be liable for injuries suffered on their premises. For example, if someone slips and falls on wet floors, down stairs, or on ice and snow you neglected to clear off a walkway or driveway — you may be held responsible for any of these injuries.
So what’s a business owner do to to reduce the risk of premises liability?
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Keep your Business Safe and Protected from Premise Liability
/by American Alarm Blogging TeamIf you own a business, you know that it’s just not possible to protect everyone’s safety all the time. You also know that for your business to survive and thrive, you have to do everything possible to protect your customers, tenants and employees, as well as reduce the risk of liability on your premises — including installing a business alarm system.
There are any number of reasons business owners can be liable for injuries suffered on their premises. For example, if someone slips and falls on wet floors, down stairs, or on ice and snow you neglected to clear off a walkway or driveway — you may be held responsible for any of these injuries.
So what’s a business owner do to to reduce the risk of premises liability?
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How Online Crime Data Helps Police and Residents
/by American Alarm Blogging TeamRegular folks no longer have to wait for the morning paper or 10 o’clock news to gain access to crime data for their neighborhoods and towns.
Why? Police departments depend on information, and putting data in the hands of “regular” folks – online and for free – can help solve crimes faster while creating a safer community.
For instance, the 40,000-resident city of Billerica, Mass. – located 20 miles northwest of Boston – publishes daily logs of crimes, residential break ins and other police calls (e.g. checking on an elderly neighbor). This data give residents a look at the police activity by partial address and date.
For example, take a look at the two charts below for 2012 Crime Data for Billerica.
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Seven Simple Steps to Prevent Identity Theft at Home
/by American Alarm Blogging TeamImagine someone assuming your identity without you even knowing. It’s called identity theft and according to the Federal Trade Commission, it’s the fastest growing crime in the United States.
Just this month, a 36-year-old Boston man was arrested for allegedly using stolen identities in multiple schemes- including the purchase of high end electronics, and using an illegal credit card encoder to make fake credit cards. Tens of thousands of dollars were stolen.
Watch the video below as we outline seven simple steps to prevent identity theft at home so YOU don’t become a victim:
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How Social Media is Changing Law Enforcement Strategy & Tactics
/by American Alarm Blogging TeamConsider the pro-social media as law enforcement tool argument, which sees the vast repository of Internet users as potential sources of crucial information about specific crimes. Releasing photos of suspects online in an effort to ‘crowd-source’ their location, or asking the public to submit photos and tips using the web or Twitter would seem to be a useful strategy for federal and local law officers working a case.
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Quality of Business Security Surveillance Video Technology
/by American Alarm Blogging TeamVideo surveillance is increasingly becoming a key component of any business security strategy. A business security video surveillance system can play multiple roles when it comes to protecting your company’s assets, including:
Not all business security systems are created equal, however. In fact, in order to fully benefit from the protection of video surveillance, it is necessary to make sure that the system you order matches your particular needs.
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American Alarm and One Fund Boston, Inc.
/by American Alarm Blogging TeamTo do our small part, we held a special company-wide casual day for our employees to raise money for One Fund Boston, Inc. This fund was created by Boston Mayor Tom Menino and Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick to raise money for those affected by these events.
Additionally, Attorney General Martha Coakley urged Boston citizens to be careful of fraudulent charity sites, and only to donate to reputable organizations such as One Fund Boston, Inc.
The following picture shows a portion of our Arlington team showing our Boston pride and support.
Carbon Monoxide Alarm & Child Safety Tips for the Kitchen
/by American Alarm Blogging TeamYour kitchen is likely much more than a place to have meals; it can be the best place to study, to sit and talk with family members or friends and to plan futures. It’s a place to make you feel safe and secure.
One of the most important aspects of kitchen safety for both children and adults is the inclusion of carbon monoxide monitoring within your home alarm system. With recent heat and electricity outages in Brockton, Mass., one family tried to use their gas stove for warmth. This led to the hospitalization of three adults and two children, according to enterprisenews.com. Although all are expected to make a full recovery — a functional carbon monoxide alarm would have alerted these individuals of the danger before falling ill.
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How to Keep your Business Secure & Prevent Employee Theft
/by American Alarm Blogging TeamPreventing employee theft used to only involve stopping a worker from walking out with your goods or helping himself to the money in the cash register. Take, for example, a recent incident at the Home Depot in Watertown, Mass., as reported in the Watertown Patch.
Home Depot security officers, who suspected an employee of stealing, caught him allegedly grabbing a $100 bill from the register and putting it in his apron. After he was arrested, the suspect admitted to taking approximately $5,000 in cash over five or six weeks.
While this type of theft still clearly occurs, times have changed, and employees have turned to more sophisticated ways to steal everything from merchandise to data from their employers.
Here are a few old school and cutting-edge ways to prevent your employees from stealing from your business;
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How to Prevent Smoking-related Fires in the Home
/by American Alarm Blogging TeamYou’ve probably heard the stories about people who have fallen asleep with a lit cigarette in their hand and woken up to a house on fire — or who have been pulled out of the charred remains of their home by a fire crew. Those aren’t tall tales: each year, the U.S. Fire Administration documents close to 1,000 cases of individuals killed in home fires started by cigarettes.
Aside from quitting smoking, there are a few ways you can try to reduce the chances that you will ever have to deal with a home fire caused by a lit cigarette. Read more →
Business Security: Common Ploys Used by Shoplifters
/by American Alarm Blogging TeamThe fact is that every year businesses lose tens of billions of dollars to shoplifting, and if you’re retailer you’re all too well aware of that painful fact.
Although it’s not possible for you to completely do away with shoplifting, there are ways to prevent shoplifters from taking advantage of a five-finger discount. Read more →