Every year there are hundreds of thousands of claims made against commercial general liability insurance policies for slip and fall accidents that could have easily been prevented. In addition, workers’ compensation policies must cover numerous slip and fall accidents by employees each year. These work injury claims result in increased premiums for the employer making the cost of doing business higher. Many of these accidents are preventable. Preventing slip and fall accidents should be important to all business owners. Below are 5 easy steps you can take to limit the number of slip and fall accidents that occur on your business property.
Slip and Fall Statistics
Every year, slip and fall accidents result in over 1 million people being sent to the emergency room for treatment. They are the #1 cause of worker’s compensation claims as well. The injuries people suffer in slip and fall accidents span from bruising to muscle injuries to torn ligaments and broken bones. Some slip and fall injuries result in fatalities as well.
Step 1: Education and Training
Spills can happen for many reasons. If you allow customers to carry around drinks accidental spills may result. If you have refrigeration coolers or older air conditioning units, leaks may be a concern. Additionally, older buildings may have leaks in faucets or roofs when it rains. If your goal is preventing slip and fall accidents, be familiar with the potential for wet floors to occur on your property and where they are likely to happen. Then devise a plan to monitor the area for them and train your employees to follow the plan.
Step 2 Monitoring High-Risk Items More
Customers will not come to tell you they broke a glass and caused a spill. They do not want to pay for the damage. You have to identify areas and then regularly check for incidents to occur. If you have drink coolers, this is one spot where dropped drinks are likely to occur. Placing the coolers near the checkout areas (or where an employee is regularly stationed) so they can be observed at all times is wise. This allows you to monitor them constantly.
Placing mirrors that allow the front desk or counter person to see hard-to-see coolers or likely spill areas is another way to prevent slips and falls. Lastly, inspect the area regularly. Large grocery stores and malls set policies requiring someone to inspect the floors every 15 min and to check off the boxes on a report to document it was done. This helps reduce Walmart slip and fall accidents.
Step 3 Preventing Slip and Fall Accidents With Safety Mats
In addition to spills, condensation may build up in certain areas like cooler doors or air conditioners. This can lead to water spilling out onto the floor. When you identify areas where condensation is likely to build up, take the extra steps of putting down no-slip floormats so that you are covered if the spill is not noticed immediately.
Step 4: Have the Proper Clean Up Equipment Handy
Since you can’t always prevent slip and fall accidents, there are three key items every business owner should have handy to address spills. First, the classic mop and bucket are critical for addressing large pools of water spilled or tracked inside. Second, warning signs to protect people from walking in an area that has been mopped but has yet to dry. Third, a good supply of hand towels to dry spots and spills is needed. These items should all be kept in a centralized easy-to-reach place so everyone knows where they are. Kitty litter may be ideal for your business if you are at risk of spilling products that leave a slick residue even after being cleaned up. An example of this would be a gas station where oil or gas might spill.
Step 5: Train Employees to Guard the Spill
I have seen cases where employees discovered a spill and then left it to go get the mop bucket or paper towels. The employee thought they were acting promptly and doing the right thing, however, take it from a slip and fall accident lawyer, this was a bad mistake. The employee had knowledge of the spill and left it unguarded. This created instant liability when someone did not see it and slipped and fell on the spot.
When an employee sees a spill, the proper way to address it is to wait until they can call someone or wait until someone comes along whom they can ask to go get help. Never leave a known hazard unguarded.
Questions?
If you have questions about your rights after a slip and fall accident, please feel free to give us a call. Simmons and Fletcher, P.C., Injury & Accident Lawyers have been fighting for slip and fall accident victims since 1979. We are experienced in helping people navigate the confusing legal issues that arise.
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