Summer might mean holiday mode for some, but for Australian businesses it often means increased operational pressure. Whether you’re managing skeleton staff during the Christmas period, dealing with extreme heat impacts on premises and equipment, or preparing for summer storm season, the warmer months present distinct business risks.
At Findura, we work with SMEs and commercial operations across regional Australia. We’ve seen how businesses that plan ahead manage summer challenges far better than those caught unprepared. Here are three priorities to address before the season peaks.
Australian summers are getting hotter, and extreme weather events are becoming more frequent. Your premises, equipment, and business continuity are all vulnerable if you haven’t prepared adequately.
Air conditioning systems that fail during heat waves don’t just make for uncomfortable working conditions – they can damage temperature-sensitive stock, shut down computer systems, and in retail or hospitality environments, force you to close completely. Have your cooling systems professionally serviced before summer arrives, not when they break down during a 40-degree day.
Check your building’s resilience to extreme heat. Are there areas where stock or equipment is exposed to direct sun through windows? Can you improve insulation or install shading? Heat damage to inventory, particularly electronics or perishables, may not be covered by insurance if it results from inadequate environmental controls.
Storm preparation is equally important. Check your roof for loose tiles or damaged flashing. Clear gutters and downpipes. Ensure outdoor furniture, signage, and equipment is properly secured – objects that become projectiles in high winds create liability exposure if they damage neighbouring properties or injure people. Review your insurance policy to confirm you have adequate storm damage cover and understand any maintenance obligations.
Technology is highly vulnerable during heatwaves. Many businesses rely on uninterrupted power supplies, surge protection, and regular data backups to avoid disruption from outages, storms or equipment failure. Storing backups off‑site or in cloud systems ensures accessibility even if your premises becomes compromised.
Document critical systems, update IT recovery contacts, and ensure key staff know who to call for emergency IT support. Preparing these details in advance avoids delays during high‑pressure moments.
If your premises becomes inaccessible – whether due to fire, storm damage, prolonged power outage, or even bushfire evacuation orders – can your business continue operating? Do you have alternative locations identified? Can staff work remotely if needed?
Update emergency contact lists for staff, suppliers, and key clients. Identify which operations are critical and which can be temporarily suspended. Document your processes for initiating business continuity plans – who makes the call, what gets activated, and how you communicate with staff and customers. A quick walkthrough or discussion with your team can help identify gaps and ensure everyone understands their role if an interruption occurs.
Test your plan before you need it. A business continuity plan that sits in a drawer untested is often worthless when actually required.
Summer brings specific occupational health and safety obligations that businesses must address. Heat stress, dehydration, and fatigue all increase during warmer months – creating both welfare concerns and liability exposure.
If your staff work outdoors, in warehouses without climate control, or in environments where heat exposure is significant, you have clear obligations under work health and safety legislation. Heat stress isn’t just uncomfortable – it’s dangerous and can be fatal.
Provide adequate hydration facilities and encourage regular breaks in cool areas. Consider adjusting work schedules to avoid the hottest parts of the day for outdoor or high-exertion tasks. Training supervisors to recognise early symptoms of heat stress and having clear communication procedures in place helps staff respond quickly if someone is unwell.
Document your heat management policies and ensure they’re communicated to all staff, including casuals and contractors. If someone suffers heat-related illness at your workplace and you can’t demonstrate adequate risk management measures were in place, you face both workers compensation claims and potential prosecution.
If your business involves staff driving – whether for deliveries, client visits, or travel between sites – summer conditions increase accident risk. Extreme heat affects driver fatigue, vehicle performance, and road conditions.
Ensure company vehicles are properly maintained, particularly cooling systems and tyres. Heat significantly increases tyre blowout risk, especially if tyres are worn or incorrectly inflated. Have vehicles serviced before summer and establish protocols for staff to conduct basic safety checks.
Consider policies around driving during extreme heat days or through high-risk bushfire areas. If conditions are dangerous, is the trip essential or can it be postponed? The pressure to maintain service delivery shouldn’t override safety considerations.
The combination of heat, increased workload during busy summer periods, and staff shortages due to holidays creates fatigue and stress. This affects safety, decision-making, and productivity.
Manage workloads realistically during periods when you’re operating with reduced staff. Consider whether you need additional casual staff to cover holiday periods rather than overloading remaining employees. Fatigue-related mistakes can have serious consequences – from workplace accidents to errors that impact clients or damage business reputation.
Ensure staff know how to access mental health support through your Employee Assistance Program if you have one. The summer period, while often seen as relaxed, can actually be highly stressful for businesses trying to maintain operations with skeleton staff.
Summer is peak season for business insurance claims – fire, storm damage, business interruption, and liability claims all increase during the warmer months. Reviewing your coverage now helps ensure it matches your current risks.
Many businesses focus on insuring physical assets but give less thought to business interruption cover. Yet the financial impact of being unable to operate – whether due to fire, storm damage, or power outages – often exceeds the direct property damage costs.
Review your business interruption sum insured. Is it based on accurate financial projections? Does it account for your busy periods? Many businesses are underinsured here because they based their cover on average monthly turnover rather than peak periods – but if you suffer interruption during your busiest season, you’ll be significantly undercompensated.
Understand your policy’s indemnity period (how long you’re covered for if operations are disrupted) and any specific requirements around reducing loss. Some policies require you to take reasonable steps to resume operations as quickly as possible – meaning you can’t simply wait for insurance payouts without actively working to get back up and running.
Summer brings increased public interaction for many businesses – Christmas functions, holiday shopping periods, outdoor events. This increases your public liability exposure. If someone is injured on your premises or by your operations, are you adequately covered?
Check your public liability limit is appropriate for your risk exposure. The standard $20 million might be adequate for some businesses but insufficient for others depending on your operations and client base. Review any specific exclusions that might apply – some policies exclude certain activities or have limitations on cover for outdoor events.
If you’re running any special events or activities over summer, check whether these are covered under your existing policy or require specific event insurance. Don’t assume coverage – confirm it with your adviser before the event occurs.
Insurance policies aren’t unconditional. They typically require you to take reasonable steps to prevent loss and maintain your property in good condition. If you make a claim and the insurer determines damage resulted from poor maintenance or inadequate risk management, they can reduce or decline your claim.
Read through your policy conditions – particularly those relating to fire prevention, property maintenance, and safety obligations. If you’re unsure what’s required, ask your adviser to explain. Understanding your obligations before a claim situation arises is far preferable to discovering coverage gaps after an incident.
Document your risk management activities. Keep records of maintenance, safety training, and compliance activities. If you ever need to make a claim, being able to demonstrate you’ve met your obligations strengthens your position significantly.
Businesses that manage summer challenges successfully are often those that plan ahead – reviewing insurance early, servicing equipment before it fails, and preparing continuity processes before pressure peaks.
At Findura, we conduct annual insurance reviews with our commercial clients to ensure coverage reflects current operations and risk exposure. If you haven’t reviewed your business insurance recently, or if your operations have changed significantly, let’s have a conversation before summer peaks.