Premises Liability And How It Can Affect Your Business
Every property owner has the responsibility to maintain the safety of visitors within the premises. That’s why if a person was injured on your property because of a safety hazard, you will be the primary target of a lawsuit. If you’re a business owner, ensuring the safety of your employees as well as any guest or customer entering your property, is vital and should not be brushed off. Sometimes, even trespassers have limited coverage in the premises liability law.
What Is Premises Liability
A premises liability lawsuit points to the property owner as the one liable for any damages resulting from an injury to a person or property. This means that failure to keep your property safe from danger and hazards may result in premises liability.
Premises liability often accompanies personal injury cases. The most common case is slips and falls; however, this is just the tip of the iceberg as the said law covers many other cases. Other scenarios that may prompt for a premises liability suit include the following:
- Dangerous property
- Dog and animal bites
- Inadequate maintenance
- Retail store liability, such as merchandise or equipment injuring a customer
- Insufficient or negligent security
- Hazardous substances running onto a neighboring property
If you’re a tenant and your guest was injured within the premises of the building, you’ll most likely shoulder the primary burden of a lawsuit. While your landlord may also suffer the consequences of it, it is usually stipulated in the contract that the tenant assumes full responsibility for maintaining the safety of anyone in the property.
As a business owner who’s facing premises liability lawsuit, you and your business may be impacted in many ways if you decide to fight the suit. Aside from the damage to your business’ reputation that may have taken years to build, you’ll also not be exempted from financial consequences even with commercial general liability insurance because most lawyers’ fees can be sky-high expensive.
Keeping A Safe Environment And Preventing Lawsuits
No matter how safety-oriented you are, unfortunately, accidents and injuries always make their way to anyone. The first thing you should do to protect you from lawsuit damages is to purchase commercial general liability insurance. There can be various insurance providers, so make sure to choose wisely.
Here are some more helpful tips to maintain safety within your business property:
- Inspect and monitor safety – Being aware of your surroundings is one key to ensure safety. Educate your employees about the safety hazards and how to address them, and develop a culture of safety. If employees are safety-oriented, they are more likely to be vigilant all the time and thereby avoiding accidents and eliminating hazards.
- Correct safety hazards and risks – If you see a hazard or discover an unsafe condition, correcting it immediately is one way to avoid its adverse consequences. Don’t assume that it will be attended by an employee later. Same is true for the employees; train them and implement procedures so that when they discover a safety risk or hazard such as a wet floor or tangled cable wires, they’ll know what to do and act upon it as soon as possible.
- Display warning signs – In case an unsafe condition can’t be corrected immediately, display a warning sign clearly for anyone to see.
Your business is your responsibility, so you’re responsible for anything relating to safety that happens within its premise. A premises liability lawsuit has consequences that concern both the owner and the injured person, that’s why the service and expertise of a premises liability attorney are crucial in understanding its legal aspect.
Vicki Haskett
Vicki is a law writing enthusiast who’s had over 25 years of experience in her field. She enjoys sharing her experiences with those who wants to learn more about the legal world, she is a writer for Seeking Justice. In her spare time she spends quality time with her family and friends.
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