Property owners who invite others on to their premises are required to take certain steps to keep that property safe. What kinds of measures they need to take, however, will largely be dictated by the type of property in question. Generally, owners who invite others onto the property for a business purpose owe the highest duty of care to customers. This means that they must regularly inspect their premises, address any hazards immediately, warn of hidden dangers, and clean regularly. Companies that fail to take these precautions could end up being held liable by visitors who slip and fall on the property as a result.
Proper Cleaning Measures
Slip and fall accidents typically happen when there is a lack of traction between someone’s foot and the floor. There could be a lot of reasons for this lack of traction, like the presence of ice in a doorway, a spill, or even wearing the wrong kinds of shoes. These kinds of accidents, however, often come down to a property owner’s failure to use safe cleaning practices. These practices will vary depending on a number of different factors, including:
- The type of business in question;
- The type of flooring used; and
- The amount of foot traffic at a particular location.
Certain flooring, for instance, will require specific kinds of soaps and cleansers to ensure that there is no slippery residue left behind when the floor dries. It is critical that businesses understand the guidelines that must be followed when dealing with a specific kind of flooring. Certain areas, namely those that see the most foot traffic may, on the other hand, could require more intensive or regular cleaning, while areas that are known to get wet or be subject to frequent spills more often, could necessitate the use of slip-resistant coatings. It’s important for business owners to be aware of these issues and to ensure that their employees are also properly trained in the use of particular cleaning practices.
Common Cleaning Errors
Businesses that fail to create a detailed cleaning plan or that don’t train employees or fail to hire qualified contractors to clean on their behalf could end up causing hazardous conditions for visitors. Some of the most common cleaning errors that we see include:
- Failing to give a site enough time to dry before allowing foot traffic to resume;
- Using too much wax or failing to use no-skid wax in slippery areas;
- Failing to install the proper drainage;
- Failing to clear away soap residue;
- Failing to buff a flooring surface;
- Applying the wrong floor treatment products, or doing so improperly;
- Failing to strip the previous finish placed on the floor; and
- Failing to address leaks, drips, and spills in a timely manner.
A business owner that doesn’t avoid these kinds of mistakes could be held liable by an accident victim who slipped and fell as a result. In these cases, injured parties will need to find proof that the property owner didn’t hire a qualified cleaning service, failed to train employees on how to properly clean, or used the wrong products when doing so. Evidence that similar accidents had occurred on the property can also go a long way towards demonstrating a business owner’s negligence in keeping his or her premises safe for visitors.
Recovering Slip and Fall Damages
A slip and fall victim who can prove that a property owner’s negligence caused his or her accident and subsequent injuries could be entitled to monetary compensation for accident-related losses, including reimbursement for:
- Past and future medical expenses;
- The cost of ongoing therapy and rehabilitation;
- The cost of repairing or replacing damaged property;
- Lost income and benefits;
- Permanent disability; and
- Pain and suffering.
While monetary compensation may not be able to return a person to his or her pre-accident state of health, it can go a long way towards helping accident victims pay for the medical care they need while they recuperate and begin the road to recovery. For help assessing the value of your own slip and fall claim, feel free to reach out to our dedicated Miami slip and fall legal team today.
Were You Injured in a Slip and Fall Accident in Miami?
If you were hurt after slipping and falling on someone else’s property and believe that the accident was the result of negligence on the property owner’s part, you could be entitled to compensatory damages. Don’t hesitate to contact the experienced Miami slip and fall attorneys at Dolan Dobrinsky Rosenblum Bluestein for a free consultation by calling 305-371-2692 or by completing one of our brief online contact forms today.