4 Important Steps To Take If You Detect Water Damage In Your Office
Now that more people are starting to return to work, it’s become increasingly important for business owners and managers to visit their offices and workplaces to ensure that it’s safe to return. The last thing you want is to realize that your office has been damaged or is showing signs of wear once you return.
Some common areas to look for are failed power supplies for electronics, structural damage and even water leaks. While most people will be returning to a clean but quiet office, some might experience water damage that could have been undetected during the company’s absence.
Issues like burst pipes can happen at almost any moment and they’re usually dealt with as they come up.
However, if you were due for plumbing maintenance that was skipped due to the pandemic, then it’s very likely that you’ll return to water damage in your office. In this post, we’re going to explain four simple yet important steps to help you cope with the water damage.
1. Immediately contact your insurance company and a contractor
First, get in touch with your insurance company and let them know the situation. Describe it as accurately as possible so that they know what you’re dealing with. They may send a contractor out to help you or they might even cover the costs of the damage immediately.
Otherwise, get in touch with a contractor such as to help you start the restoration process and also repair any sites of water damage.
You’ll want to take plenty of pictures of the areas you suspect are being damaged by water so that it’s easier to explain to either your contractor or insurance company.
2. Start cleaning up areas that you can
If possible, you should start cleaning up your office with some basic tools. However, we highly recommend that you stay away from any areas that you might consider to be dangerous.
For instance, if there’s water damage in an area surrounded by electronics then we highly suggest you do not touch anything. If the water is a dark or murky color then we also suggest you leave it alone as it could be contaminated. In cases like this, wait for your contractor to arrive before the cleanup process.
3. Attempt to recover important items if they’re in danger of being damage
Whether it’s old archived records or important computer systems, try and save the things that can still be recovered. If nothing is submerged in water or affected by water then you don’t need to be fast. However, if you need to recover a hard drive that is damaged by water, then you need to deal with it as quickly as possible by sending it to a specialist.
4. Let your employees know and establish safety measures
Make sure there are plenty of signs around that indicate the presence of water damage. If needed, give instructions to your employees so that they don’t cause further damage. If your office or workplace is unfit for their return, we highly suggest that you contact your staff and ask them to remain at home for the time being.
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