Forecasters are predicting a busy winter storm season this year, and the blizzard conditions that moved across much of the country in early January may be only the beginning. Facility maintenance is critical during the winter months to prevent costly property claims. It is equally important to incorporate slip-and-fall prevention into your facility maintenance plan.
As you may expect, slip-and-fall claims tend to increase during the winter months and can be extremely costly if it is determined that negligence was a contributing factor. However, these claims may be largely preventable or mitigated by being proactive in identifying potential exposures and implementing good loss control practices to address safety issues.
In many cases, preventing potential liability claims due to slip-and-fall events begins with the property inspection. During winter months, it is important to conduct property inspections more frequently in order to respond to changing weather conditions and quickly identify potential hazards related to uneven surfaces, hidden hazards, slippery conditions, or poor lighting.
]]>