If your business has a bathroom for public use, then you probably know that it’s one of the foremost places to keep safe and sanitary for customers. Though it might not seem like it, a public restroom is dangerous under any and all circumstances. There is always a chance that something could go wrong when someone uses it, foremost among them a slip-and-fall injury sustained by a user.
Though you don’t want a customer or other party to get hurt in your business, there is only so much you can do to prevent these accidents from happening. When they do, they might lead to significant losses for the injured party, causing them to blame the business in turn. At this time, you might have to take responsibility for your mistakes, no matter how unintentional the fault might have been.
Your commercial insurance benefits can usually step in provide assistance under the circumstances. The specific coverage that can come to the business’s aid is general liability insurance, and it is a very expansive and comprehensive benefit that no commercial operation should be without.
Let’s take a closer look at this coverage, and consider how it can apply specifically to the slip-and-fall risks present in your bathrooms. In the end, you’ll find your CGL coverage to be exceptionally beneficial under the circumstances.
Why are Bathrooms High-Risk Areas?
Any reasonable business owner knows that bathrooms are high-risk areas. They see a lot of traffic, and there are plenty of injury risks present within this personal area within a public business. Slip-and-fall risks are among the most obvious and present hazards in bathrooms because of the presence of numerous potential danger scenarios.
Overflowing toilets or sinks, leaking pipes, wet floors and even water dripping from someone’s wet hands could create slippery surfaces. Still, there are plenty of other fall risks present in the space, including:
Loose, damaged or slick flooring.
Dirty flooring or walkways littered with paper products.
A lack of safety rails in secure areas.
Broken toilet seats.
Should a fall occur, it could range from a non-issue to a significant injury for the victim. They could suffer any number of serious ramifications, including:
Broken bones
Internal injuries
Concussions or head injuries
Sprains
Mental anguish
These might cause significant medical and personal losses for the injured party. Their hospital or rehab bills might skyrocket. They might even lose income because they cannot work. Combined, these losses could be significant, and create a substantial and unmanageable amount of financial strain for the affected party. As a result, they might blame you as the party responsible for their losses. They might even decide to sue you.
The fact that someone fell in your bathroom doesn’t have to be due to an intentional mistake on your part. Instead, it might come down to a simple mistake or negligent action that, however unintentional, still was your fault. As a result, you might have an obligation to compensate the affected person for their losses. You might also face significant legal fees as a result of any lawsuits that often might arise.
To any business, these costs could be significant, and most business owners would not be able to afford to pay them on their own. That’s why general liability insurance is absolutely necessary to help you maintain your business’s own stability despite owing significant restitution to a third party.
How Liability Insurance Can Be of Assistance
There is virtually no way to eliminate every chance of a slip-and-fall accident to occur in your bathroom. However, because commercial insurers recognize these risks, their general liability insurance plan offerings are almost always going to cover these accidents when they occur. As a result, the business will be able to survive these incidents virtually unscathed, while still being responsive to someone who suffered an accident due to your mistakes.
Still, though your policy will cover slip-and-fall claims, that does not mean you don’t have a duty to engage in proper risk management practices. After all, the safer your bathrooms, the less of a likelihood there is of a fall occurring. Often, it’s as simple as noticing fall risks (like leaking pipes), isolating them and then cleaning up the mess as quickly as possible. The sooner you fix a problem, the lower your chances of ever having a problem occur. Keep an eye on things, make bathroom cleanliness and safety a priority in your bathroom, and make certain that you respond to any customer complaint as soon as it arises. In the end, you’ll do yourself a lot of favors by making sure that you are ahead of the game in the face of any potential bathroom liabilities.