As a business owner, property owner, or a landlord, you want to maintain a safe business property for your employees and tenants. To reduce the potential for slips, trips, and falls, you may want to consider the following safety tips:
General safety tips
- Maintain adequate lighting in parking areas, on sidewalks, and in stairways to make the areas safer for pedestrians.
- Ensure gutters and downspouts don’t drain water onto walkways or into parking areas. Water and puddles can easily lead to slips, and can become icy if the temperature drops below freezing.
- Quickly clean up any spills reported.
- Repair or replace torn carpets, rugs, loose or missing floor tiles, or any other flooring materials.
- Consider a removal plan for snow and ice on sidewalks, stairs, parking areas, and around dumpsters.
- Always repair potholes or uneven surfaces in driveways and parking lots.
Stairways, steps and ramps
- Install handrails on stairways and ramps in accordance with local building codes.
- Ensure handrails are stable and securely fastened.
- Consider using nonslip surfaces, such as carpet, on stairs.
Walkways and lawn areas
- Repair uneven surfaces, large cracks, or bumps in the sidewalk.
- Remove obstructions from walkways, such as ladders and other maintenance equipment.
- If there is a lawn sprinkler system, turn it off and drain the system when the temperature nears freezing. If you don’t, the pipes can freeze and create leaks and icy patches.
Other important safety tips
- If you own a building and have tenants, have a manager on duty whenever possible.
- Post emergency phone numbers.
- Keep first-aid kits handy and stocked.
- Investigate and keep a record of incidents, including who was involved, dates, and circumstances.
- Management should review all incident reports.
