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Tips to Reduce Customer Trips and Falls in Your Brick-and-Mortar Business

websitebuilder • Apr 03, 2019
When you own a business, you may be held liable if a customer or client injures themselves on your property.

Keep the following tips in mind to protect your business.

1. Keep Walkways Clean and Clear

All walkways through your store, restaurant, or office should be clean and clear. You should make sure that customers and clients can pass easily through these areas without risk of tripping or slipping.

In particular, make sure you don't let retail displays, inventory, boxes, or other items clutter up these areas, and beyond that, keep walkways clean from hazards that could cause a customer to trip or slip.

2. Schedule Regular Walkthroughs

Maintaining a safe environment requires constant attention. If someone gets hurt and wants to hold your company liable for the accident, they often have to prove that you breached your duty of care. If you can show that your staff had paid attention to the situation and worked hard to keep your building safe, you may be able to escape liability for the injuries.

Ideally, you should schedule regular walkthroughs of your facility. For instance, if you own a grocery store, one of your employees should walk the aisles every 15 minutes to ensure there are no spills or tripping hazards. To track this activity, consider using a sheet with time slots and space for employees to sign their initials after a walk through.

3. Invest in Safety Signs

When there are dangers, let the public know by posting signs. When you mop or clean up a spill, make sure you have a CAUTION or WET FLOOR sign to alert everyone of the risk. Depending on the unique risks in your environment, you may also want signs that warn people about stairs, oncoming forklifts, dangerous chemicals, or anything else that could potentially harm them.

4. Mark Steps

An unexpected step can easily cause someone to fall, and if they fall, they may put in a claim against your public liability policy or even try to take you to court. To minimise these risks, mark any steps clearly.

This is especially important in areas where only one or two steps goes from one level to another level in a spot where someone may not expect a step up or down. Reflective tape can help to make steps more noticeable, but you may also want to hang signs.

5. Keep Your Business Well Lit

Proper lighting can go a long way towards reducing accidents. Make sure that people can see where they are going, especially around stairs or other obstacles. If you need dim lighting for ambiance, for instance in a restaurant, you may want to line walkways with strands of LED lighting. These lights can increase visibility without disturbing the mood.

6. Remember the Outside of the Building

Customers can also get injured outside your building, so apply the above tips to your building's exterior as well. In other words, schedule regular checks of this area. Post safety signs as needed, and keep up with repairs related to cracks or other tripping hazards in walking paths.

7. Protect Yourself With Public Liability Coverage

In spite of your best efforts, accidents can happen, and if you end up facing a bill for an injured customer, you want to be able to rely on insurance. Public liability insurance can be critical in these situations.

To learn more about public liability coverage, contact us today. At Westralian Insurance, we can help you find the right insurance solutions for your business.

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