Winter is the season of holidays, feasting, and family. Unfortunately, it’s also the season of snow and ice. While this means fun for children, it can mean accidents and liability lawsuits for adults. If you’re a business owner, you need to know what you’re legally liable for when snow hits your area.
Not On My Property, Not My Problem
Your company owns and operates, or rents and operates, on a very restricted and well-defined plot of land. If one of your employees has a snow-related accident walking or driving to work, it’s not your company’s legal responsibility to compensate that employee since the accident didn’t happen on your company’s property. This means that your employees are responsible entirely for getting themselves to work safely, regardless of any pressure to arrive on time in hazardous conditions. However, it is still generally a good practice to warn your employees of dangerous weather so that they can be prepared ahead of time and not feel pressured to rush themselves when out driving on slick snow.
On My Property Is My Problem
On the other hand, any snow-related accidents that happen in and around areas that are your company’s property are directly your company’s legal responsibility. This includes parking lots, sidewalks, walkways, and the inside of your company’s building. If your company sits on a small lot of land, you might be able to get away with hiring one worker to be a caretaker of the parking lot and sidewalks during the winter season. This worker will be responsible for shoveling snow, breaking up ice, and laying down de-icing salt. For larger properties, you should consider hiring a professional snow removal company. If anyone, whether employee or otherwise, is injured due to hazardous conditions on your property, including slipping and falling on slick surfaces, then they can and often will hire personal injury attorney services to sue for any damages to themselves and their own personal property. Hiring your own attorney, as well as taking any and all possible measures to prevent accidents, will give you a solid defense against these cases.
Snow Doesn’t Mean No Business
When the weather is bad, many businesses and government offices will remain closed. One thing that some employers are concerned about is the potential for their employees to get into an accident while on their way to work. This usually prompts employers to keep their businesses closed. While this is a courteous measure to take when the safety of your employees are at risk, you are not legally required to give employees the time off due to weather conditions or hazardous travel. This is where your own judgment must come into play where you decide if the risk to your employees is greater than the costs of the time off. Keep in mind that more productivity will be lost if your employees are injured on the way to work than from missing one day to stay home. A good rule of thumb is to look at the weather and, if you wouldn’t travel out there yourself, you likely shouldn’t ask your employees to, either.
Ways to Increase Safety On Your Property
You can’t fix the dangers your employees face while on their way to work, but you can prevent dangers once they reach your property. Invest in water-absorbent doormats for the inside of your building to absorb melted snow tracked in my employees and customers. Purchase caution signs for wet floors as warnings to your employees to exercise caution in certain areas. As previously mentioned, if you can show that you have taken every reasonable measure to prevent accidents in your workplace, then you will have a solid defense against allegations of negligent workplace care.
By taking preventative measures and being aware of where your liability lies as a company owner, you can prevent costly lawsuits against your company. The weather is changeable and difficult to predict, making it a volatile source of liability if you aren’t prepared. Know your rights, know your responsibilities, and you’ll be prepared to weather any weather-related challenges to your company.
Meghan Belnap is a freelance writer who enjoys spending time with her family. She loves being in the outdoors and exploring new opportunities whenever they arise. Meghan finds happiness in researching new topics that help to expand her horizons. You can often find her buried in a good book or out looking for an adventure. You can connect with her on Facebook right here and Twitter right here.
