Risk prevention keeps man’s best friend (and man!) happy

Nationwide Insurance offers online training for veterinarians, office staff

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 11, 2007

Contact:
Liz Christopher 614-249-7705
christe1@nationwide.com

Columbus, Ohio — Veterinarians keep the animals they care for happy and healthy, but there could be a risk of injury to patients and their owners if the property isn’t treated with the same attention to detail.

Keeping customers safe from accidents is critical for building and upholding a veterinarian’s reputation. Nationwide Insurance combines simple safety tips with online training courses for a complete safety and loss prevention package. Our goal is to help veterinary practice owners keep customers happy, increase profits, and in some cases, reduce risk and insurance premium.

“Customer service and safety should be part of every veterinarian’s top priorities,” says Dave Gettles, vice president of loss control for Nationwide Insurance. “A few preventive measures can go a long way to protect a professional practice and keep customers returning again and again.”

Nationwide Insurance offers online safety-training courses for veterinary practices, many available in both English and Spanish. The training web site allows users to select the courses that fit their needs, learn at their own pace and track results. These courses are part of a larger online safety-training resource from Nationwide, which offers more than 300 classes to assist a variety of business needs. For more information, please visit safety-training.nationwide.com.

These simple tips from Nationwide Insurance also offer easy ways to maintain a safe workplace for veterinary staff, patients and their owners at minimal or no cost:

• Maintain the building interior and exterior - Frequently check exterior lighting to ensure well-lit walking and working areas. Maintain racking and shelving so the units remain steady and secure. Remove excess trash and debris. Keep exterior walking surfaces clear of ice and snow to prevent slipping in winter months.
• Waiting room and corridor safety - Make one-way entrances and exits to avoid startling pets and clearly post animal control rules. Inspect retail displays to make sure they are secured and won’t topple over. In some cases, separating animals, such as cats and dogs, in the waiting area can keep animals and people out of harm’s way.
• Keep walking areas free and clear - Make sure that the areas where customers walk are in good physical condition and clear of cords and debris. To reduce congestion in these areas, review the traffic flow for placement of check in and out stations, waiting areas and treatment area access.
• Inspect your equipment - In addition to regularly inspecting fire, burglary, sprinkler and alarms systems, it is also a good idea to have your practice’s wiring, heating, air conditioning equipment and refrigerated units checked regularly.
• Train your employees - Make sure employees have been trained in storage and dispensing practices when using aerosols, combustibles, flammable liquids and cleaning supplies. They also need to understand how to properly use fire extinguishers. It’s also important that they know how to properly dispose of biohazard waste and sharp objects and the use of special veterinary equipment. Consider providing first aid training.
• Develop a business interruption plan – Include inventory, building, equipment and record replacement in your plan in the event of a total loss of the facility.

Nationwide, based in Columbus, Ohio, is one of the largest diversified insurance and financial services organizations in the world, with more than $160 billion in assets. Nationwide ranks #104 on the Fortune 500 list. The company provides a full range of insurance and financial services, including auto, motorcycle, boat, homeowners, life, farm, commercial insurance, administrative services, annuities, mortgages, mutual funds, pensions, long-term savings plans and health and productivity services. For more information, visit www.nationwide.com.

^{Nationwide, the Nationwide Framemark and On Your Side are federally registered service marks of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company.}