While slip and fall accidents and injuries are covered by your business liability insurance, they can still end up costing you money. If someone, or their slip and fall attorney, files a claim against your business, your insurance rates will drastically increase, or your insurance coverage can be terminated. As such it is in your best interest to try and prevent slip and falls from occurring within your business. Here are a few of the ways you can do just that.
Look for Hazards on a Daily Basis
One of the easiest ways to prevent slip and fall accidents is to make a checklist of potential slip and fall hazards. Once you have made this checklist, walk around your business on a daily basis and look for these hazards. If hazards are spotted, take action to fix the problem, or at the very least, place a bold, clear warning sign indicating a hazard is present. Here are some of the things that should be on your slip and fall hazard checklist:
In addition to conducting a daily walk through to look for these hazards, you should also train your employees to spot hazards. Some hazards occur suddenly throughout the day. Maybe the floor suddenly becomes slick due to something someone spilled on it or perhaps a toilet suddenly starts leaking. Training employees to spot hazards and teaching them how to properly clean them up can also help you prevent slip and fall accidents.
Place Slip-Proof Door Mats By Your Entrances
A common reason why slip and fall accidents occur is because people walk out of the rain or snow onto a surface that may be slippery when wet. As soon as their wet shoe hits the slick surface, they lose their balance and fall. Luckily, there is a simple way to prevent this from occurring in your business. All you need to do is place a slip-proof mat by the entrance of your store.
A slip-proof mat serves two different purposes. First, it allows customers the ability to dry off their shoes before they walk on your slick surface. Secondly, a slip-proof mat won't bunch up or slip out of place. This is important because many doormats can bunch up or slide out of place, which creates a tripping hazard. As such, to best protect your business, look for one that specifically says it is slip-proof.
Make Sure Your Business is Well-Lit
The last way you can prevent slip and fall accidents in your business is to make sure your store is well-lit. This may not sound like a big deal, but poor lighting can lead to a decrease in visibility. This can affect your customer's ability to see stairs, see changes in the flooring or see any spills that have yet to be cleaned up.
Making sure there is enough bright light in every area of your store and replacing light sources that burn out, are two ways that you can ensure that your business is well-lit.
In 2012, there were more than 17,000 deaths caused by slip and fall injuries. Additionally, falls are currently the number one reason why a person sustains and needs medical treatment for non-fatal injuries. If someone slips in your business and is injured, it could wind up costing you a lot of money. Preventing slip and falls can help you reduce liability and keep your customers safe. For more information, talk to slip and fall attorneys such as those at http://www.putnamlieb.com.
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