If you’re a property owner and/or a property manager, you know the responsibility it requires. On top of the usual things, like bills and maintaining your property, you also face the possibility of ending up in a premises liability lawsuit. San Bernardino premises liability lawyers at Hanson & Mouri explain how failing to keep others safe, whether you’re a business, home, or piece of land, can result in a lawsuit that seeks damages for others’ injuries. Here, we’ll discuss what types of injuries happen most often on a property, and what you can do to prevent them.

The Most Common Types Of Premises Liability Injuries

While there are a number of reasons people, invitees and trespassers, could suffer an injury on your property, there are a few types of injuries that come up most often. We’ll list them here so you can keep these top of mind, and take the preventative steps necessary to avoid any catastrophe.

Slip and Falls

The National Floor Safety Institute reported that falls account for 8 million hospital visits per year, and represent the leading cause of hospital visits in the country. Avoid a slip and fall incident on your property by warning people of wet floors, removing obstacles in people’s path, keeping lights on, tucking away electrical cords, etc. 

Environmental Hazards

Many people suffer from allergies to things like mold in the air, and your property could become a breeding ground for mold exposure if not inspected properly. Check for water damage, leaks, or neglected cleaning of moist areas (like the bathroom). The same risk of illness exists in building materials, such as asbestos or lead paint. Make sure you’re aware of what chemicals are emitted by property restoration in order to keep your tenants/the public informed.

Dog Bites

Dog bite laws tend to be very unforgiving. In most states, you are at fault for a dog bite, regardless of warning people that your dog may bite. Investing in some training for your animal is the best course of action here. 

Inadequate Security

If anyone living on your property suffers from a break-in, robbery, or injuries from a trespasser, your security system comes into question. You may be liable for a lack of protection on your building. Prioritize making your building a safe place to live.

Inspect Your Property Routinely

Whether it’s your business, your home, or any other type of property, it is your responsibility to make sure that everything is safe and up to code. To ensure that everything is correct and safe, routine inspections should be performed regularly by yourself with more in-depth inspections with the help of a professional on occasion. By always knowing the condition of your property, where possible risks are, and the overall safety of the location, there should be very few surprises. Most of the time, major hazards can be easily spotted by taking a walkthrough of the property  and checking the most highly-trafficked areas. 

Tend to Repairs Immediately

If by chance you do find something on the premises that could pose a risk to others, it is essential that you get it taken care of immediately. If it means closing early, shutting down for the day, so be it. In situations like this, it’s always better to be safe than sorry, because the last thing you want is a lawsuit on your hands, especially if the accident could have been prevented and the repairs weren’t made your top priority. As noted by the personal injury lawyers at DuBois Law Group, even if an injury is minor, an individual has the right to prove negligence and seek compensation.

Make Hazards Obvious To Everyone

In the event that there is a hazard that can’t be handled immediately, making sure that the hazard is made obvious to everyone, including yourself, is the most important thing to do. This can mean putting up caution signs, taping the area off, or anything else that you can do to make sure people stay away from the area, and therefore safe.