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Pre-Christmas preparations ended badly
“Before the holidays, the stairs were polished, I slipped on them and there was such a careless movement, I grabbed the handrail and it broke at that place,” Tom (the name is known to the editorial board) says of his failure. This time, thankfully, the man was not hurt and it was only worth it with the scare and the need to repair the broken armrest on the ladder.
After submitting the necessary details to the insurance company, Tom contacted the masters who made the stairs for repair. The insurance representatives were then provided with an estimate of the work and the damages were paid. The man is glad that the formalities have been arranged quickly. For a company to be able to cover such damages, it is necessary to cover the risk of “Other contingencies” in the insurance of the homes and assets in them.
Vasarė Širmelytė, BTA’s property insurance specialist, says that more than a third of the company’s clients who insure their homes and properties in them choose the most comprehensive insurance package, which includes not only fire and water protection, but also also the risk of “Other contingencies”: “This risk includes all unexpected events in the home that occur when the insured cannot anticipate it. It is not a separate form of insurance, but one of the risks of property insurance. “
According to the specialist, such events occur suddenly and unexpectedly, and are caused by everyday activities: “For example, a person carried a sofa, tripped and broke the handrails on the stairs, or unexpectedly knocked over and broke the television while vacuuming the carpet. There are also cases where a person slipped in the bathroom and broke the shower door or window handle, spilled a can of paint, spilled the floor covering, and thus damaged it. ” According to V. Širmelytė, the company receives more than 500 reports of such events each year.
Stair slippage is a problem that needs to be resolved
Slippery stairs not only cause injuries to people, but a stronger slip can end tragically. Vaidas Jurgelaitis, the director of MB Vaido Laiptai, says it can be avoided. The first tip is to cover the stairs not with varnish, but with oil: “When covering the tree with oil, your fingers do not slip. Sure, with the wool socks you can slide, but you can actually feel the structure of the tree. Oil is ten percent weaker than varnish in terms of resistance. I don’t think that’s anything in terms of security. “
An even more reliable way to avoid slippery stairs is for wood prepared with a special brush (combed) or sandblasted to become rough, aged, corrugated: “On such oil-covered stairs, the probability of slipping is much lower. In Lithuania there is a tendency for people to choose a more natural and ecological product, and a natural product is always rougher, because the final scrubbing is not as small as when applying the varnish ”.
The safest and most durable stairs: how to choose the right one
V. Jurgelaitis says that for safety reasons, he constantly tests the durability of the armrests. In the case of wooden armrests, according to the expert, pillars and padding of the right size and thickness are very important for safety, and the round armrest itself must be at least 45mm. diameter. The distance between the floor and the upper part of the armrest – from 90 cm. up to 1 meter.
The most durable and long-lasting, however, according to Vaid, are metal armrests: “It would be a sheet of metal 8 millimeters or 1 centimeter thick, which can be cut into individual patterns. The machine can cut any desired pattern. It would be the most stable option that is virtually impossible to break. “
Which stairs are the safest? The interlocutor first remembers that, regardless of the design of the stairs, it is important to place protective fences so that children under 6 years of age cannot climb the stairs without the supervision of an adult. As for the height of the stairs, the optimal height of the foot lift is 17-19 cm. The area per foot should be at least 24-25 cm and more.
The stairs in some houses, called “bear feet”, are considered by the expert as a possible alternative, but not very convenient and unsafe: “This is a salvation for those who do not have the opportunity to increase the opening of the staircase. In comparison, it is almost a ladder for a builder to climb on, put something in the attic, but it is not suitable for frequent use or for children to climb. “
Vasarė Širmelytė.
© Company archive
Fight against fraud cases
V. Širmelytė talks about the processes after the insured event: “The customer must register the damage, provide information on all the circumstances of the event and, if necessary, present documents confirming the purchase of the item. These can be store checks, a copy of a bank transfer, or, if the item was purchased online, an order fulfillment information letter from the online store. In the absence of such documents, photographs confirming that the victim was at home and prior to the incident may be helpful. “
According to the property insurance specialist, one of the conditions for compensation for damages based on the risk of “Other contingencies” is that the property must be involuntarily damaged by human fault: “Insurance companies fight against fraud and they avoid situations in which, for example, the television changes, “accidentally” falls out of hand “.
The interviewee says that the clients of the company she represents are honest and resort to insurance to recover money for losses incurred, thus reducing the financial burden. The communication of this type of people is always clear and open: “Clients who apply honestly tend to communicate in good faith, they provide all the information and documents necessary for the administration of damages.”
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