Check your wiring
Our claims data shows many fires are caused by electrical or mechanical faults, and they could have been avoided with regular building and wiring checks. If your wine product, together with your buildings and plant were to go up in flames, you’d be facing some serious business interruption. It is also relatively common for buildings to be constructed of EPS, which is highly flammable and makes it difficult to avoid a loss if a fire was to take hold.
Know your neighbours
If your property borders others with crops, plantations, waterways or certified organic crops or plants, you should take extra care to avoid spray drift when using spray chemicals. The legal and financial consequences of damaging someone else’s property due to spray drift could be significant. Let your neighbours know if you’re spraying chemicals, and check with your regional council if there are any mandatory requirements when spraying.
Look after yourself
It’s important to have a plan if an illness or injury stops you or a key person in your business from working. Viticulture is a challenging industry with a very real risk of injury, disablement or even death. You should have a risk management plan that looks at what happens if you or other key staff are unable to work, including having a look at your finances to make sure you can afford to bring in extra workers and/or continue to pay accounts and debt.
