There’s a lot of risk involved with running a family entertainment center. In the unfortunate situation that an accident occurs, it’s ultimately the owner’s liability. Keeping this in mind, it’s pretty clear how important it is to establish a safe and secure foundation for your business. Everything from preparing your center top-to-bottom before opening the doors, checking often for safety hazards and maintaining these procedures and regulations throughout daily operation is crucial to keeping your family fun center as safe as possible.
Tips From Our Experts
Obtaining the right owner’s insurance for your FEC is what we do best, but we also try to educate each of our clients in the many rules & regulations to take into consideration for proper FEC maintenance and safety procedures. Use these tips to help make your center a safer, more successful business:
• Insurance:
Have the proper and complete coverage regarding the type of FEC in question. Bounce house fun centers with inflatables and party rooms will have different coverage than an FEC with go karts, mini golf, batting cages, climbing walls, etc.
The same principal applies to bowling centers where alcohol is present. Make sure you keep in touch with your insurance agent regularly and alert them to any changes or additions you might make to your center.
Have your facility evaluated by your insurance company or qualified loss control expert.
This evaluation will examine your FEC for questionable items such as trip, fall and laceration hazards, electrical hazards, proper safety signage in place, functional emergency lights, fire extinguisher certification, etc. We include this valuable service to all FECs and bowling centers insured by the Sterling & Sterling Insurance program.
• Crisis Management Plan:
Accidents are going to happen, so be as prepared as possible. One accident or serious injury could potentially ruin your business if not handled properly. Having a Crisis Management Plan in place prior to opening your FEC or bowling center helps prepare you for handling the crisis properly and managing any fallout created by the incident.
If an accident does occur, make sure you contact your insurance agent immediately.
• Policies and Procedures:
Prior to opening your FEC or Bowling Center, establish the policies and procedures necessary to operate a profitable company. Procedures for safety, staff hiring and training and retraining, maintenance, crisis management, etc. should be in place and carefully thought out.
• Following Manufacturers Instructions:
Regardless of what type of fun center equipment you purchase- whether it be go karts, inflatable bouncers, climbing walls, paintball field, video arcade, etc. – all have operating and maintenance instructions that must be accurately followed to provide the safest and entertaining experience possible to visitors and employees. Following these instructions will keep your center running smoothly and safely.
• Adequate Staffing:
Establish your minimum staffing levels. You can consult the equipment manufacturers and also check with any state and local requirements. Having well trained adequate staffing will provide enough eyes to help ensure a safe operation. Never sacrifice safety for the few dollars more it would take to have a staff member on watch!
• Employee Background Checks:
If your fun center caters to children (from toddlers to teens), make sure to screen potential employees with thorough background checks before hiring.
Preparing your FEC with these suggestions will ensure that your visitors have a safe place to have fun! After all, that’s really the point isn’t it? This will keep them coming back time and time again for more enjoyment at your fun center. If you have more questions about running a safe and successful FEC, reach out to us at (800) 767-7837.
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Sterling & Sterling, Inc. is ranked as one of the top 50 Privately Held Insurance Brokerages in the United States. We help our clients reduce risk and spend less with our unique Risk Profile System®. By using these tools, on average, we have saved our clients 25% on their overall insurance costs. To see how we can help you create a safer, more successful family entertainment center, reach out to one of our insurance professionals today by contacting us here or calling toll free at (800) 767-7837.
