How to Prevent a Slip and Fall Accident on Your Property

This guest post is from Christian Westerberg, a freelance writer with a penchant for insurance policies. He enjoys sharing his tips and insights on various money related blogs. Visit HomeInsurance.com to find more home security tips.

Owning your own home can be one of the most exciting times of your life. It can, however, also be one of the most serious, particularly if you don’t take the time to take proper care of your property. Every year, hundreds of homeowners come under legal fire because they have demonstrated some sort of negligence which has resulted in someone on their property getting hurt. Regardless of whether you’re talking about the paperboy or your elderly grandmother, you have a basic duty to protect anyone who’s on your property. If you don’t exercise appropriate care, you may well find yourself on the losing end of a medical bill or worse, a lawsuit.

Slip and falls are by far the most likely accident to occur on anyone’s property, and in addition to getting appropriate home insurance coverage which can help you in situations where someone on your property has become injured because you haven’t exercised proper care, you should consider preventing accidents from even occurring.

Here are some tips:

1. Light it up, baby!

People may not be able to navigate your dimly-lit staircase at midnight. They may miss a step while going into the basement to start a load of their laundry, and that could mean a disastrous fall. If you make sure the light bulbs in every stairwell are bright enough and are replaced promptly, you could go a long way in preventing a misstep.

2. Pick up after your kids and spouse.

Every parent everywhere knows what a nightmare it is to keep a clean living room, particularly when you have small children. Before you have company, ensure that your floor is clear of stray bits of blocks, books, or other toys. Also consider having your spouse take his or her things out to the garage or craft rooms if their tools of the trade have migrated to a central location – tripping over a hacksaw is not fun.

3. Watch for slippery rugs.

There are still rugs on the market which don’t come with slip-resistant backing. If yours doesn’t have slip-resistant backing, add double-sided tape to the bottom to prevent slippage.

4. Watch the tub!

A good many home-based accidents occur in the bathroom, and most especially in the tub. Without non-slip bath mats paced securely in the tub, you’re more than likely going to slip and fall doing the most common activities.

5. If it’s broke, FIX IT.

Whether you have uneven floorboards, slippery spots on your tile, or cracks in your staircases, you need to repair them. They are hazards just waiting to take someone out.

6. Clean up spills. NOW.

It goes without saying that spills that haven’t been cleaned up are accidents waiting to happen. It’s too easy for someone to go skidding across a floor that hasn’t been properly cleaned of a spill and fall.

7. Remove junk from your yard.

The outside of your house is equally dangerous. If you have loose branches, broken stones or anything like that on your property, it’s your responsibility to clean it up right away.

The bottom line is it’s your responsibility to ensure your home and surrounding property is safe, for both you and anyone coming onto your property. Take some time to look around the property and ensure that what’s loose is tightened or removed and what’s broken is fixed. Your wallet will thank you for it in the long run.

Source: http://www.pissd.com/2012/11/how-to-prevent-a-slip-and-fall-accident-on-your-property/

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