Don't let a slip or fall cripple your business

Whether it is a customer, supplier, or employee in question a slip or fall in or outside your business premises could be very costly to your business without the correct business insurance in place.

With the average cost to employers of over £500m per year, 40 lives lost and over £800m cost to society relating to slip or fall accidents each year the implications to a small business can be potentially devastating with the cost of medical bills, rehabilitation, lost wages and damages all adding up. There are of course steps that you can take to limit the chances of an accident taking place, and you will be expected as part of your duty of care to carry these out, but ultimately you cannot eliminate the possibility. For this reason it is important to have both Employer’s liability and Public liability insurance in place to protect your business and livelihood.

Employer’s Liability Insurance

Employer's liability insurance is a legal requirement in the UK. It is required for every employer at a minimum level of £5m cover, but more commonly £10m, to protect each employee ensuring that compensation is available should they need it (excepting a few exceptional circumstances). There are many reasons why you need employer's liability insurance, but ultimately if you don’t have it you could also face some hefty fines from HSE.

For more information read our ultimate guide to Employer's Liability Insurance.

Public Liability Insurance

Public liability insurance on the other hand is not normally a legal requirement for most businesses, but is highly recommended and will cover your business against any slips, falls or damage to property whilst a member of public or visitor is on your premises. This will also cover you against any property or damage that you or your employees may cause to another property or persons whilst off-site.

For more information read our ultimate guide to Public Liability Insurance.

How to limit your chances of a slip or fall taking place at work

All business owners, particularly those who have regular visitors, have a duty of care to protect their employees and the overall public. This means paying special attention to the interior and exterior of your property to ensure it is free from hazards. If any problems in the overall maintenance of the property are obvious to an outside observer then you will have breached your duty of care.

Adopt some of the following measures to ensure that you are not in breach of your duties and ensure you are less likely to fall subject to a liability claim:

• Monitor your premises for wet and slippery flooring, placing warning signs around affected areas whilst they are tended to or are in the drying process.
• Install entry mats to ensure that feet are dried off and less likely to slip, but ensure that these lay flat and do not encourage tripping.
• Salt or sand the exterior of your building in icy weather and stock up on these items as the bad weather approaches. Keep a log of any maintenance that is carried out for future proof.
• Keep all walkways clear.
• Ensure sufficient lighting is provided both inside and outside of your building.
• Inspect around the building on a regular basis for any potential problems that can be caught quickly, such as lose banisters on stairs, dangerous or untidy wiring, a build-up of debris or items blocking walkways, uneven flooring, or bunched carpet. Document any inspections or repairs and maintenance.

If a slip or fall does take places on your business premises then be sure to log details thoroughly and to contact your insurer immediately.