Accidents happen all the time. People trip over carpet edges, slip over a banana peel, or walk straight towards a glass door. It’s a fact of life, and sometimes, we fault no one but ourselves for our clumsiness.

This doesn’t mean, however, that it’s safe not to take precautions when needed. Because if someone encounters an accident inside your commercial establishment, a personal injury lawyer from Chicago just might visit you and tell you that a slip and fall case has been filed against you.

Don’t be negligent

The easiest way for anyone to file a slip and fall case against you is if you don’t take any preventive measures to ensure that your commercial establishment is safe. This means that if you’re mopping the floor, for example, you have to put up a sign telling customers that the floor is wet. If you’re running a restaurant, it’s important that you notify your customers that the coffee pot is hot.

Even when you own a parking lot, you could still be liable for anything that happens there. People who tripped and fell in a parking lot were able to sue the owner of the property. They claimed it was too dark for them to see the wheel stops or any other obstacle that caused them to trip.

To avoid mishaps such as these, you need to be vigilant when it comes to ensuring the safety of your commercial establishment. Always put up signs in areas of your building where it’s not safe to be in. This is to ward off customers from entering those areas or to advise them to be careful when walking in those areas.

Always replace faulty light bulbs, and if you see an area of your establishment that has poor lighting, replace it with more powerful lights. Remember to always replace items that are starting to fail, like a doorknob that fails to open the lock or a switch that sends out an electric current. Do these and your customers won’t have anything to fault you for.

Don’t overcrowd

Work accident. First aid training.

Another common mistake in some commercial establishments that results in slip and fall lawsuits is overcrowding. This often happens in bars or nightclubs where the agenda of the establishment is to pack the building with as many people as possible.

It may be tempting to pack your bar with as many patrons as possible, but that’s an invitation for disaster. Overcrowding could lead to people tripping over each other, which could lead to them either suing you or getting into a fistfight with each other. Neither of the two options is beneficial to you.

So, ask your building contractor what the total capacity of your establishment is. Don’t ever go beyond that. Be prepared to turn customers away if your establishment is filled to the brim.

Slip and fall cases can be detrimental to your business. It’s important that you take all necessary precautions to ensure that your establishment is safe. If you can’t ensure that your establishment is totally safe, which is impossible anyway, at least let your customers know of the apparent risks. That way, they won’t be able to file a case against you.