Businesses are particularly susceptible to personal injury lawsuits. Because business and property owners are often found liable after someone suffers an injury on the property, they should be especially careful to maintain a safe environment on their land and in their buildings.  To avoid unwanted consequences, owners should consider:

1. Awareness & Training. Awareness of potentially dangerous conditions and frequent staff training on the topic may save business owners unnecessary inconvenience and loss of time and money they might otherwise incur from injury-related liability issues.

2. Taking the initiative. If you know about a potentially dangerous condition at your place of work, warn others and fix it promptly, if possible. Consider a store with a dimly lit public entryway with two narrow steps.  The business owner herself has tripped on the steps more than once, as have employees, who notified the owner. This is a known dangerous condition. To prevent injuries and minimize liability, a “watch your step” sign should be utilized while the store explores solutions to address the poor lighting and narrow steps.

3. Insurance. Obtain proper premises liability coverage and engage in annual meetings with your agent to review risks, coverage types and policy limits.

4. Contract Review. Confirm that your snow removal, facilities maintenance, landscape, and other service contracts protect you satisfactorily.  Contact your attorney or insurance company about any questions or concerns.

Prevention is better than reaction.  Look for potentially dangerous conditions, even if created by nature, your customers or vendors.  Being overly cautious will serve you better than ignoring an issue that may seem insignificant.

Attorney Allison Ambrose has the knowledge and expertise to deal with all aspects of personal injury and premises liability claims, and is here to answer your questions.