Achieve a Customer-Friendly Commercial Space with These Tips

Many business owners are unaware that they can be held liable for slip and fall accidents caused by improperly designed and constructed facilities.

Personal injuries due to obstructions could also fall under tort law, for which the owner of a business establishment where the accident occurred could be ordered to pay compensatory damages to the injured party.

If you run a business, being charged with negligence resulting in bodily harm to your customer could ruin your reputation and make you lose clients in a snap. Fortunately, you're not totally helpless against such dire possibilities.

If your business is located in Kansas City, you may contact reliable paving contractors in the area to ensure that your walkways, curbs, and parking areas are compliant with safety standards. This way, you can ensure safe passage for all your customers.

You can also make your business establishment safer for your customers by following these tips:

Remove obstructions and other hazards

Injuries caused by the trip, slip, and fall hazards  are among the top reasons why business owners get slapped with tort cases. Slippery floors, uneven surfaces (surface irregularities), clutters, and other hazards are essentially accidents waiting to happen.

The easy fix is to remove such hazards or to make the necessary corrective actions to ensure the safety of everyone going in and out of the establishment.

Install proper and ample lighting

Commercial spaces that are not properly lit invite tort cases. One spot that is not well-lit could cause a customer to trip over and suffer injuries. You'd be surprised just how many establishments lack such a basic feature.

You can make your business space customer-friendly by illuminating critical areas such as ramps, hallways, and walkways. You can also install reflective signage that could give visual cues to your customers to exercise caution when walking around.



Ensure properly constructed curbs, ramps, and sidewalks

Not all walkways and ramps are created equal. In fact, many paved surfaces are so badly done that they wave at accidents to come and pay a visit.

You can make your business space more accessible by hiring a professional paving contractor to install PWD-friendly ramps. Also, you can prevent accidents by ensuring that your sidewalks and curbs are properly built and painted so customers won't accidentally slip or trip.

Invest in fire safety and management systems

If your business is hospitality (hotel, bed-and-breakfast, inn), then you should ensure that systems are in place to put out a fire quickly. You should have fire extinguishers in strategic areas within your property, as well as a working sprinkler system.

Remember that you're not only after your customers' satisfaction while inside your premises. Most importantly, you should ensure that they are safe from harm throughout their stay.

Construct fire escapes

Aside from having a fire management system in place, you should ensure that there are enough fire escapes around your business establishment. By law, this is one of the requirements that businesses must comply with.

These fire escape routes must be properly identified and the fire escape plan should be communicated with customers. There should be signage towards the fire escapes, as well as a printed copy of the routes placed inside rooms and conspicuous places inside the property.

Keep in mind that you have a big responsibility to ensure your customers' safety inside and outside your commercial space. With these tips and other safety tricks, you can avoid costly tort cases and maintain a safe and fun stay for your valued customers.