The point of running a business, unless it is a non-profit organization, is to make money. Companies have to control their costs and drive demand for the products and services that they provide to generate profit.
Every customer that walks into an office or a retail shop is a potential source of revenue, but they are also a potential source of liability for the business. Any customer visiting a business will contribute to its overall premises liability. The more people who visit overall, the greater the possibility that someone will eventually get hurt.
Some of the ways that companies cut their costs could actually increase their chances of facing an expensive premises liability claim later.
Keeping staff levels low
Many businesses will attempt to cut staffing to the lowest level legally permissible for their business model or feasible given how their company operates. When there aren’t enough staff members to run cash registers and help customers, workers will have to defer or completely avoid certain responsibilities, like walkthroughs to look through cleaning issues and long-term maintenance.
Understaffing could mean that there is no one to mop up a spill or fix the wrinkled rugs by the entranceway. When a company could easily have prevented a slip-and-fall with adequate staffing, the person hurt will likely have grounds for an insurance claim or a civil lawsuit.
Delaying repairs and maintenance
Age or visitor-related damage to a property can put others at risk. A leak in the ceiling could mean a puddle where someone slips right by the top of the stairs, while outdated equipment could cause condensation or have bulky electrical cords that pose tripping hazards.
Businesses often have to invest quite a bit in their equipment and facilities initially and then make ongoing investments in maintenance and repairs. When a company delays work on the building itself or on equipment, the result could be preventable circumstances that lead to people getting hurt.
When it is obvious that negligence, possibly motivated by cost-cutting efforts, caused someone’s injury, the person affected may have a right to seek compensation. Learning more about the rules that apply to premises liability claims makes it easier to hold companies responsible when they put their profit margins ahead of the safety of their visitors and employees.
