What Ottawa Lawyers Want You to Know about

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If you are a business owner, it is important to know the risks of being sued by a customer who gets injured on your property. It is even more important that you know how to protect yourself and avoid property related liability so you can save your hard earned money instead of having to pay someone’s insurance company. Ottawa lawyers want to inform business owners of the best ways to protect yourselves and your business from any liability related to your property.

Keep things clean and clear

Regardless of the type of business you own, having a clear and clean parking lot, walkway and even sidewalks in the winter is a huge must. Anyone can slip and fall in the winter and these types of falls pose a high risk of getting sued by a customer. In the winter make sure you hire someone to keep the property clear of snow and, ice, and slush and keep plenty of salt on hand. In the fall, clear any leaves off of the property as well because wet leaves can be very slippery.

Signage is important!

Fifty years ago there were not as many warnings on packages such as “do not use while in the shower” (seen on hair dryers) but because of the steadily increasing number of lawsuits these days, manufacturers are finding it necessary to cover all of their bases by putting these types of warnings on product labels. Business owners should use the same principle. Ottawa lawyers have handled many such cases simply because the proper signage was not used. If the floor is wet, put up a sign. If part of the building or parking lot is under construction, no matter how small, put up a sign to make sure your customers and employees know to avoid the area. Even if some things should be common sense to most people, put up a sign! The world is not the same as it was years ago, and a lawsuit can be made out of something that appears to be trivial.

Avoid clutter

We have all been in stores that are overstuffed with products and there is no room to turn around. These scenarios are accidents waiting to happen. Whether you own a store, office, or warehouse, make sure it is clutter-free. Watch for things that people will trip over or walk into and rearrange things if necessary. Protecting yourself against property-related liability is easy if you take a proactive approach.