Premises liability is the legal term for a property owner’s responsibility to the public. They generally need to keep their property in good repair for the safety of others, especially if they make the facility accessible to the public. Whether a business owns or rents the space in which it operates, it should properly maintain its facilities for the protection of customers and employees alike. Unfortunately, negligent facility maintenance is a relatively common issue. Businesses fail to keep their premises safe, and someone ends up getting hurt.
If a reasonable person would agree that certain actions were necessary for safety or were likely to result in injury, the circumstances might constitute negligence. Slip-and-falls are an excellent example of this concept. Businesses, often through omissions, create circumstances in which people suffer preventable falls.?
Poor equipment maintenance
Businesses often need complex machinery to provide goods and services to the public. Many of these machines can generate risk for slip-and-falls. Inappropriate placement of power cords can lead to people tripping and getting hurt. Machines may leak if improperly maintained. Even refrigeration units and freezers could cause fluid accumulation if there is an issue with the equipment itself or if a door gets left open for too long. The failure to properly maintain equipment and safely provide it with electricity is a preventable type of business negligence.
Improper facility maintenance
The space as a whole can contribute a lot toward the risk of people getting hurt at a business. Poor lighting in the rear section of a shop, for example, could lead to people tripping or slipping because they don’t see items on the floor. Damaged flooring could also pose a tripping hazard. Improperly finished floors could pose a slipping hazard, as could leaks from a ceiling that no one bothers to fix. When the poor condition of a facility leads to someone getting hurt, that may provide grounds for a premises liability lawsuit.
Inadequate staffing
One of the most prevalent forms of business negligence involves keeping too few employees on hand. Payroll expenses are often a top liability for organizations, and they may seek to minimize those costs in any way possible. However, they gamble with public safety when they do not keep enough workers on hand to both tend to customers and address spills, leaks and other issues.
If someone hurt in a slip-and-fall can clearly connect their injury to business negligence, then they may have the option of pursuing a premises liability lawsuit. Holding companies accountable for slip-and-fall injuries can benefit the injured person and promote better business practices.
