Many of our commercial clients have experienced the unfortunate event of having a customer slip and fall while at their place of business. There are several factors that can lead somebody to accidentally slipping including wet and greasy floors, uneven walking surfaces, sloped surfaces, clutter, electrical cords, and iced sidewalks.
According to the United States Department of Labor, slip and fall claims dominate the majority of general industry accidents. This leads to about 25% of all reported injury claims per fiscal year.
Luckily, there are ways for business owners to reduce the chances of having to file a slip and fall claims.
1. Take care of your business and practice good housekeeping. By keeping your place of business tidy, there is less risk for customers to trip, slip, or fall over anything.
- Always have employees clean up after themselves.
- Create a cleaning program as part of the daily regimen. This way it becomes routine.
2. Try to reduce slippery surfaces as much as possible. Accidents due to wet surfaces are reported more frequently than any other type of slip and fall accidents.
- Take a look at the parking lots, sidewalks, food preparation areas, shower stalls in residential dorms, and floors in general.
- If there is snow or ice present in the parking lot or on the sidewalks, make sure you treat these areas.
- Use “Wet Floor” signs in areas that tend to be slippery, or after washing the floor.
- Moisture-absorbent mats are necessary in entrance areas to prevent falls.
3. Consider installing surveillance cameras so that you have documentation of a fall.
- Save the video of the fall with a few minute before, during and after to have a clear idea of what exactly happened.
4. Appropriate lighting throughout a business is crucial to reducing accidents.
- Proper illumination in stairwells, hallways, ramps, and basements is especially important.
- Replace any light bulbs, light switches, and fixtures as soon as they start to act up.
- Keep all work areas very well lit and tidy.
Sometimes accidents are unavoidable. However, by incorporating the above tips into your businesses daily routine—you can potentially decrease the amount of claims due to slips and falls. As always, if you have any questions on what your commercial policy covers or if you have to file a claim, you can contact your agent here at Community Insurance & Associates.