More than 33.2 million small businesses are currently operating in the U.S., and they account for 99.9% of American-based companies. Despite the growing number of commercial organizations, few business owners are aware of the damage a personal injury lawsuit could do to their company. From financial loss to reputational damage, there are many ways in which a personal injury claim can be harmful to a company. Fortunately, there are ways to protect your business from a personal injury lawsuit, such as the following.
Get the Right Insurance
All businesses are required to have workers’ compensation insurance under federal law, but state laws also determine what types of insurance a company must have to operate legally. As well as making sure that your insurance policies achieve regulatory compliance, check that you have sufficient coverage to protect your business against compensation payouts and legal fees in the event of a claim.
Conduct a Risk Assessment
Don’t assume that you know what risks apply to your workers or your customers. Instead, take the time to undertake a comprehensive risk assessment and repeat this assessment at regular intervals. By doing so, you can identify previously unseen risks and take action to prevent them from causing harm to anyone.
Implement Health and Safety Measures
Once you know what risks are present, you can take steps to develop and implement a health and safety initiative that reduces the likelihood of workplace injuries or illnesses. As every company can face varying risks, a bespoke approach to creating a health and safety strategy will deliver the best results for your business, your staff, and your customers.
Educate Your Staff
Workplace accidents often arise because of staff errors or mistakes, which is why educating your employees can be a primary way to protect your business from a personal injury lawsuit. From teaching staff how to use specialist equipment to educating team members about how to engage safely with customers, there are many aspects that need to be incorporated to ensure your health and safety training is effective.
Get Legal Advice from a Local Personal Injury Lawyer
If an employee, customer, or member of the public suffers an accident or injury on your premises or as a result of your work, you should contact an experienced personal injury lawyer.
Personal injury attorney Josh Fogelman, the founding partner at FVF Law, says, “It’s important that business owners understand their potential liability for an injury or accident on their premises and take reasonable steps to keep the premises safe for guests.”
Attorney Fogelman explains that business owners typically have a duty to keep their properties safe for guests. This duty requires them to regularly inspect the premises for dangers, fix known hazards, and warn of hazards that can’t be fixed right away.
Of course, you don’t need to wait for an accident to occur to seek legal advice. By working with personal injury lawyers in advance, you can find out what extra steps you can take to protect your business and minimize your liability for an accident.
How Common Are Accidents and Injuries?
According to the latest statistics from the CDC, 1.8 million workers visited the ER due to workplace injuries in a single year, but this doesn’t include the accidents and injuries that affect members of the public too. When you consider how many people experience accidents and injuries every day throughout the U.S., it’s easy to see why so many businesses face personal injury claims.
Fortunately, working with dedicated personal injury lawyers can help businesses to protect themselves against this type of legal action and mitigate the impact if an injured party does seek compensation for the harm they’ve suffered.
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