Five tips to help property owners prevent trip and fall accidents

The arrival of spring meant two things for me this long weekend, beautiful sunshine filled days, and a list of outdoor projects to fill them. Cleaning up, clearing the clutter and making small repairs is an important part of maintaining your property and whether you are a home owner, business owner or landlord, chances are the arrival of spring means you’re paying closer attention to the area around your property and and premises as well.

Beyond the obvious benefits of making your property more enjoyable and attractive, being diligent about property maintenance also helps protect your visitors from potential dangers, and yourself from potential lawsuits, should someone happen to suffer an accident while on your property, such as a trip and fall.

Slips, trips and falls happen quickly, and can result in broken bones, head trauma, back and neck injuries, and strains and sprains. While the accident may take place within seconds, some injuries can result in long term disability, leaving victims unable to return to work or their other regular activities.

Whether the accident is the result of a wet, slippery surface, unsafe steps or walkways, or failure to remove snow and ice, the property owner is responsible for taking measures to prevent foreseeable accidents.

For this reason, it is important that property owners and property occupiers keep their property or premises safe for users. Here are some tips to help prevent accidents on your property:

1. Be vigilant in inspecting the areas around your property for potential dangers such as unsafe steps or uneven pavement. Keep walkways and stairs clear.
2. Clean up spills quickly, and make sure people avoid the area until smooth surfaces are completely dry.
3. Use signs to alert visitors to potential dangers such as slippery floors, or falling ice and snow.
4. Keep areas that you know are dangerous off-limits to visitors until repairs have been made.
5. Act quickly to make repairs, make an area off-limits or post warnings once you have been made aware of a potentially dangerous situation.

Failure to maintain a property or premises can result in conditions where slips, trips and falls become more likely. If someone is injured under these circumstances, a personal injury lawyer can help find out if they may be entitled to recover damages for your injury from the property owner or occupier.

Property owners often have insurance that victims can access to gain financial compensation and help them manage the short-term and long-term effects of their injuries.

Learn more about the criteria for determining who is legally responsible in a trip and fall accident by reading our previous post [link to icy conditions post]

Ferguson Barristers, Ontario’s injury lawyers, are experts in personal injury and civil litigation claims.