Dispute-ready records
How to keep dispute-ready records of vendor work
Last updated July 9, 2026
What makes a vendor record dispute-ready?
A dispute-ready record can be produced on demand and stands on its own: a live photo of the work, GPS, a server timestamp, and a chain of custody showing it has not been altered. It is audit-ready — searchable by site and date, and shareable as a tamper-evident link a client or insurer can open.
Why do slip-and-fall and liability claims hinge on documentation?
Premises-liability and slip-and-fall claims usually turn on one question: can you show the site was actually serviced, and when? If a walkway was salted or a lobby was cleaned, dated proof of that visit is your defense. Without it, it is your word against theirs.
Why the stakes are high
- Falls on the same level cost U.S. employers nearly $10 billion a year. (Liberty Mutual 2024 Workplace Safety Index)
- Floors and flooring materials contribute to more than 2 million fall injuries each year. (National Floor Safety Institute)
- Medical costs from falls among adults 65 and older topped $50 billion in 2015. (CDC)
Sources: Liberty Mutual 2024 Workplace Safety Index; National Floor Safety Institute; U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
How fast can you produce proof when a claim lands?
Search the Evidence Vault by site and date, open the exact visit, and share a tamper-evident link in seconds, not a day of scrolling through chats and inboxes. A claim can arrive months after the work; because every visit was filed when it happened, the record is already there.
What should a vendor record include to hold up?
At minimum: a live photo of the actual work, the location it was taken, a timestamp the worker did not set, and a way to show the record has not been edited since. LockProof attaches all four to every submission and seals it with a SHA-256 fingerprint, so the record is tamper-evident.
How long should you keep vendor proof?
Long enough to outlast a claim. Slip-and-fall and billing disputes can surface months or years later, so records need to stay searchable, not get lost in a rotating group chat. LockProof keeps every verified visit in the Evidence Vault, filed by site and date, ready to pull whenever someone asks.
When a claim lands, here’s the difference
The value of a record shows up under pressure — the day someone disputes the work and you have minutes, not days, to answer.
| When a claim lands | Screenshots + inbox | Shared photo drive | LockProof |
|---|---|---|---|
| Find the exact visit | Scroll and hope | If named well | Search by site + date |
| Prove the capture time | No | File date, editable | Server timestamp |
| Prove location | No | Rarely | GPS at capture |
| Show it was not altered | No | No | SHA-256 chain of custody |
| Share with an insurer | A screenshot | A link, no proof | Tamper-evident packet |
| Time to produce | Hours | Varies | Seconds |
Open a sample verified record to see exactly what a client or insurer would receive.