Opening your business place to the public comes with many responsibilities. From your financial responsibilities to worker rights, one of the most important ones is the responsibility to keep your visitors safe. Imagine a restaurant. Then, think about all the equipment and the objects in the same restaurant. From the simplest light bulb to the machinery being used in the restaurant, everything you can imagine can pose a risk to the visitors if not maintained, positioned or utilised correctly. It is the business’s duty to keep the service area under control. Failing to do so can result in accidents that could affect the victim’s life dramatically.
Security measures for businesses and different risk factors
Accidents in public places are being examined under the Civil Liability Laws. These laws cover accidents in almost every public places. Considering the variety of business places, depending on your sector, the way you perform your duty varies. However, the aim is always the same. The visitors should be kept safe and healthy. The risk factors in a shopping centre and a concert venue can be different. It is always a good idea to assess the risk and the objects that could pose a risk in the future and take safety measures.
In a multilevel shopping centre where numerous restaurants serve to visitors and many stores draw an enormous amount of traffic, ignoring these risks can be quite problematic. The circulation should be managed correctly and well. Starting from the entrance, the parking lots should be illuminated sufficiently. It is not the visitor’s duty to notice every risk and act considering these. If lighting is below an acceptable level, the drivers cannot see pedestrians, potholes, other drivers, shopping carts, and possibly, any other metal objects that can be dangerous.
While inside the shopping centre, countless other possibilities can be the source of risk. Decorative items should be mounted or hanged correctly. The same applies to ceilings in which glass is used. If not mounted correctly, these decorative items and the ceiling can collapse and cause devastating damages. Other than this, the railings have been a matter to discuss for a long time. These railings and fences should be fastened strongly and an additional risk-warning sticker or a sign might be needed to indicate the danger. In addition to the structural materials, much other electrical equipment such as the escalators, indoor cleaning vehicles and chemical substances that are being used for hygiene purposes can be risky.
Civil liability compensation and the rights of injured visitors
As mentioned before, almost every business place owes the duty of care to their visitors. Although the ways of enforcing safety are different, the aim is the same. Unintentionally harming your visitor isn’t something you would like to experience as the penalties can be tough. The businesses’ duties are easily performable by assessing the risk factors regularly, taking immediate action against the obvious risk factors such as gas leaks and water leakages, hesitating shows and actions that can be harmful and ensuring the equipment being used are working correctly. If not, the business will be liable for the damages as ignoring these duties is indubitably negligence.
On the other hand, the exact same duties are owed to the workers and employees. Under the workers compensation scheme, the business should sustain the non-hazardous working conditions in the workplace. Considering the density of the business place, much equipment is likely to wear off. Replacing this equipment with newer ones every once in a while, or maintaining regularly is a must. The injured workers can claim work injury damages if the cause of the accident was due to the employer’s breach of duty of care.
