Protecting Your Employees and Business Against Slips, Trips and Falls

contributed by Lockton Cos.

As the third most common type of occupational injury, slips, trips and falls are a leading cause of workers’ compensation claims for franchise employees. On average, these injuries account for 12 days of work missed for employees and are very costly to businesses. In fact, the average workers’ compensation claim for a slip, trip or fall costs $48,575, according to the National Safety Council.1

While workers’ compensation insurance can provide coverage to your employees in the event of a work-related injury or illness, it is important to be aware of common hazards and try to reduce the situations that cause these incidents.

Preventing Slips, Trips and Falls

As a business owner, you can take proactive steps to prevent your employees from experiencing a slip, trip or fall. Try these tips:

• Create a prevention program: Create a slip, trip and fall prevention program that includes regularly training employees, workplace inspections, accident response and reporting. Keep a list of housekeeping standards to list minimum safety requirements. Provide clear guidelines and responsibilities for all staff members, including managers and employees. Include incident reporting protocol to ensure accidents will be thoroughly investigated and prevented in the future.

• Remove obstructions: Always clean up spills and wet spots. After the mess has been cleaned up, place a wet-floor sign to make others aware. Arrange or remove furniture so there is plenty of room for walking. Always clear your business’s parking lots and sidewalks of snow, ice or debris.

• Improve visibility: Ensure you have good lighting in place. Consider adding task lighting in dim work areas. Illuminate all parking lots, paths and walkways, too. Replace burned out bulbs promptly.

• Safety-proof: Add grab bars next to toilets. Ensure furniture is in good shape. Install non-slip, rubber mats or rugs around sinks, beverage stations and other accident-prone areas.

• Reduce human factors: Require employees to wear slip-resistant footwear during their shifts. Spread out repetitive tasks, such as food preparation, to various workers throughout the day. Require employees to take frequent breaks from repetitive activities.

Your business is responsible for providing a safe environment for your employees. Your business can also be held liable for any incidents that occur on premises, so it is important to secure the right insurance coverage.

Protecting Your Franchise With Workers’ Compensation Coverage

With workers’ compensation insurance, injured workers can receive funds for their medical expenses and partial lost wages, in return for agreeing not to file a claim against the employer. Death benefits may also apply for cases where a work injury or illness leads to the death of an employee.

In cases where an injured employee does file a claim, workers’ compensation can also cover the costs to defend your business from the lawsuit.

Here’s what business owners need to know about workers’ compensation:

• Workers’ compensation insurance is required by law in almost every state.

• Salaried, hourly, exempt, non-exempt, part-time and full-time workers all need to be covered by workers’ compensation.

• Even some commission-only workers, contractors and subcontractors and paid family members of a business may need coverage, too.

• Workers’ compensation insurance is regulated at the state-level, meaning each state has its own requirements for benefits, coverage areas, coverage type and more. It’s important you have adequate insurance for all employees wherever your firm operates and to the extent each state’s guidelines require.

• You need to review your coverage regularly, including when you hire or expand, expand into a new state, change business categories or your state’s requirements change.

With a Workers’ Compensation policy from Lockton Affinity, you can get the coverage you need to meet state requirements and minimize the risks your business faces. Contact Lockton Affinity’s helpful representatives today at (844) 403-4947 or Elevanta@LocktonAffinity.com to learn more. n

Please note: The information provided by Lockton Affinity is for your consideration and should not be construed as legal advice.

1 “Workers' Compensation Costs.” NSC Injury Facts, National Safety Council, 26 Sept. 2022, https://injuryfacts.nsc.org/work/costs/workers-compensation-costs/.

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