It is the responsibility of every business to ensure that their staff and the public are well looked after and kept safe. In spite of this however the number of slip and fall accidents which come across the desk of personal injury attorneys suggests that this simply isn’t happening. The liability for a slip or fall which could have been avoided so often falls on the shoulders of the company which owns the premises where the incident occurred. So many companies fail when it comes to taking responsibility and the legal repercussions of that are very real.
Increased Insurance Costs
Whilst it may be true that the damages which are due to be paid out to the victim come from the insurance company, that doesn’t mean that the business faces no financial punishment. In the years following this kind of incident the insurance company will want to see some of that money repaid and they will hike up premiums in order to do just that. Even if the business wants to switch insurers, they will be aware of any historical claims which have been made against the business as it is all publicly documented
Damaged Reputation
If a serious accident happens on the business’ premises and someone is badly injured, it is not going to be a good look for the business at all. Once the case is finished and liability is shown to be that of the company, it will get out to the public, usually via the media. This reputation can hurt business both from a customer viewpoint and in terms of being able to attract employees in the future. A single slip and fall incident is not going to destroy the reputation of a company but if there is more than one it could cast a dark cloud over the company’s operations.
Exposure
Although it may be the slip and fall attorneys who will be handling the situation, your business will still receive unwanted exposure in the aftermath of an incident. You will have accident logs looked at, your CCTV will be reviewed, your staff will have to give statements if they witnessed something and the whole case will just bring disruption to the workplace. This is not what a company needs, especially when it can be so easily avoided.
Ease of The Solution
Operating in a manner that helps to reduce the chances of slips and falls really isn’t very difficult at all, and this is one of the main reasons why businesses should take action. A basic training plan and a focus on spills and potential hazards is all that is required to avoid any of these nasty legal issues. A failure to focus on this sets the company up for own goals time and time again.
All businesses should have a keen eye on what they are doing to prevent the risk of any slips and falls on their premises.
