As 2016 comes to a close, many businesses begin planning out strategies for the new year to increase revenue, win customers, improve efficiency, and lower costs. However, many companies miss out on important growth opportunities because they fail to perform a thorough year-end review. A year-end review can help identify successes, failures, and areas of improvement from the past year, all of which can help put businesses in a better position to thrive in the new year.

One of the biggest struggles companies can face is dealing with work place accidents and injured employees that result in Worker's Compensation claims. No business owner wants to have injured employees, nor do they want missed work time, decreased productivity, or higher workers compensation costs. Companies can find ways to reduce their costs and encourage injured employees to return to work earlier without infringing on their rights to receive the benefits and assistance they are due.

Although handy for home improvement projects and construction jobs, ladders are one of the most dangerous pieces of equipment found in homes and businesses. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, over 43% of fatal falls in the home involve the use of ladders, while in the business world, ladder falls account for 20% of all falls on worksites, and over 80% of falls in the construction industry. Their instability, combined with frequent misuse, makes ladders a dangerous piece of equipment to use if not handled safely.

Employees should expect to feel safe and protected while on the job, but unfortunately worksite accidents and injuries are still far too common in the U.S. Each year, over 3 million workers are injured in some form while at work, whether because of falls, overexertion, electrocutions, being struck by objects, or other causes.

Texas is home to thousands of award-winning restaurants, including high-end luxury dining rooms, casual BBQ joints serving food on butcher paper, quaint bistros and cafes, and bustling family restaurants. Regardless of the type, size, and cuisine of a restaurant, there are universal liability issues that exist for all restaurant owners.

Texas has long been home to some of the most dynamic restaurants and top dining experiences in the nation, offering customers bold flavors, inventive techniques, and stunning plates. Because of our state's stable economy, growing population, and business-friendly environment, restaurateurs continue to flock to Texas to begin their own dining establishments. While owning a restaurant can be exciting and highly rewarding, it can also come with a host of issues and liability risks for owners.

Over the last few decades, businesses have become much safer for employees thanks to government regulations regarding workplace safety and employee protections. However, not all businesses are as safe as they could be, and some still pose safety hazards for their employees, especially in busy working environments or worksites where dangerous materials are handled. In today's blog post, we look at three specific ways to make businesses a safer place for employees.

A business owner can develop the best products, construct the most stunning business space, hire the best employees, and create a rock-solid business plan, but the business will still struggle mightily if the business has picked a terrible location. Picking the right location for a business is so crucial because of the variety of factors it impacts, including customer and vendor access, employee safety, natural disasters, and building functionality.

During the summer, businesses have an increased concern about damages from hurricanes, severe thunderstorms, flash floods, and even windstorms and tornadoes. However, most businesses forget about one of the more common causes of commercial property damage, which is fire. Fires rank in the top five of the most common and the costliest types of commercial property claims. In part one of our series on businesses surviving a fire, we look at exactly how companies can be impacted by fire.

Each year, Americans spend millions of dollars on home security products to better protect themselves, their loved ones and their personal assets. These investments offer improved safety, as well as peace of mind. However, although we spend a majority of our waking hours working in an office, retail store, restaurant, or other business environment, business owners often fail to provide the same level of security and protection for employees.