It is the legal responsibility of all homeowners to maintain a safe environment inside their properties. This means that you must take preventive steps to secure both the interiors and the exteriors of your home against potential accidents like slip and fall accidents. As the most common causes for personal injury lawsuits against landlords and homeowners, you should do whatever you can to prevent slip and fall injuries. Here’s a brief list of the steps that you can take to protect both yourself and everyone else on your property.
Spills Must be Wiped Off or Cleaned Immediately
Nothing else is as likely to cause a slip and fall injury as spilled substances. Whether you spill milk, water, ketchup, grease or oil, wipe it down and clean it off the walking surface as soon as possible. If you have guests, put a Wet Floor sign down until the area dry and safe to walk on again.
Keep the Bathroom Floors Clean and Dry
When your bathroom floor is not kept clean and dry at all times, algae growth is inevitable. A combination of algae and soapy water on the bathroom floor can even cause a fatal injury in some instances, especially for theelderly. If you slip on the dirty bathroom floor, there will be hospital bills, lost wages, and more to worry about.
On the other hand, when a guest, relative, employee, tenant or hired professional slips in there, you could be looking at a very expensive personal injury lawsuit settlement. Make sure you clean the bathroom floors regularly, keep them dry, and install a grab bar inside your shower. If, however, you observe mold growth anywhere inside your bathroom, that’s a much more serious health hazard that requires professional cleaning in its advanced stages.
Secure the Staircases
A staircase fall can be the most dangerous fall in a domestic environment. Broken hips and limbs, cracked ribs and broken necks are all serious/fatal injuries. To prevent such a dangerous accident from ever happening to anyone inside your own home, implement the following measures:
- Do not put boxes or anything else on the staircase; the path must remain completely clear at all times
- Check for spills of any kind on the stairs regularly
- No step in a staircase should have shiny or glossy tops; roughened, matte, and textured surfaces are ideal to provide traction
- Do not place rugs at the top or bottom of a staircase
- If you must cover the stairs, do so with a textured rug and make sure that it’s properly nailed and/or glued down
- There should be handrails and they should cover the full length of each staircase
If your stairs are not located in a well-lit section of the building, mark their edges down with neon stripes or any other color that is visible in the dark
What if You Got Injured On Someone Else’s Property?
If you are the one who slipped and suffered injuries because of the resulting fall, speak to a personal injury lawyer immediately to know if you have a case or not. The first consultation is usually free, and reputed personal injury lawyers only take up personal injury cases if they think that the case has sufficient merit to win.
The same tips we just discussed about making our own homes a safer place for guests should be practiced by others as well. No one should have to suffer financially, mentally or physically due to someone else neglecting to properly maintaining their property. Therefore, do not hesitate to call a personal injury lawyer if you have reason to believe that your slip and fall injury was indeed a result of the homeowner’s/landlord’s negligence.
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