Newsletter Issue No. 12

Maintain Building Walkway Safety

To a degree, walkway safety involves a sense of inclusiveness. That is, the owner of the walkway can not ignore the responsibilities of making sure that the walkway is safe.

This is an important point to consider because regardless of how the problems developed, it is the owner of the property who is at fault if an injury results to someone who passes through the walkway. For example, if the owner of a store contracts a builder to create a walkway and the walkway is uneven a serious hazard is present. That means, if anyone is hurt on that walkway is the owner of the store who will be held liable.

So, is critical that the owner of the store make sure that the walkway was built in a safe faction. Now, some may assume that this will be difficult because the store owner has no clear knowledge of what makes a good walkway vs. a bad one. After all, the store owner cannot be expected to pull out a book on the subject of building walkways and be able to assess the safety of the walkway after looking in a few pictures.

No, this is not what is meant by making sure the walkway is safe. Rather, it would be best for the storefront owner to have a credible third party examine the walkway for any flaws are defects. This will prevent injuries and protect the storefront owner from any potential liabilities if an workplace safety accident occurs.

Also, as important to point out that if the builder built a flawed walkway then the builder would not be absolved of any walkway safety negligence. Having built a poor walkway would be considered a form of contributory negligence. So, in such an instance, they would not be out of the question for the builder to share responsibility for any injuries that occur. Of course, this could all be avoided if the walkway was built properly but this does not always happen.

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The Awareness of Walkway Safety

It has been said that higher consciousness often always yields better action. In most instances, this refers to the notion a greater understanding of the self will deliver proper safety. Now, some may assume that this philosophical sentiment is exclusively found in new age thought. Actually, it is not an exclusively quasi-mystical sentiment as it is based on simple logic. That is, it refers to the notion that the more aware you are of something the more likely you are able to properly respond to it. This can be applied to virtually everything in life including maintaining a level of proper walkway safety.

There will be those who look at the notion of keeping a walkway safe as something minor. That is, all this talk about self awareness is misappropriated when talking about properly maintaining a walkway. However, it is critical to know what the condition of a walkway truly is. If the owner of the walkway is aware of problems then the owner can take the proper steps to correct the problems. For example, if the walkway is starting to crack there will be a point where these cracks lead to an increased possibility of tripping and falling. Of course, shipping and following can often lead injuries. In some instances, it is not impossible for such an injury to lead to death if the person strikes are head.

That is why it is so critical that anyone whose walkway is starting to display the effects of age and wear and tear take the appropriate action to have the walkway fixed. If not, many major liability flaws will be present. This poses a danger to all involved. Of course, one cannot assess the danger if one is completely unaware of what makes for poor walkway workplace safety. This is why it is important to always have a clear understanding of what is or what is not a safe condition for a sidewalk or walkway.

Lighting Prevents Elderly Falls

Installing a proper lighting fixture will greatly reduce the instance of elderly falls.

When we discuss the various physical components that can contribute to elderly falls, we often discussed objects. In other words, an obstruction is placed in front of a person and will then slip or trip over it. Of course, this is not the only reason for elderly falls occurring. Many times, it is poor lighting that results in someone taking a fall. After all, if you cannot see where you are going it becomes difficult to navigate around objects or maintain your overall safety.

If the person who falls is a younger person, he or she can often brush off the accident with a minor bruise. Elderly people, however, can find themselves in a serious predicament when they slip and fall. It is not uncommon for fractured hips, broken bones, or even a traumatic head injury to occur after what was seemingly minor fall. Sadly, many of these falls could have been avoided if the proper steps were taken to increase the standards of lighting.

Now, this does not been there is a need to go out and purchase an extensive or expensive lighting system. Sometimes, simply replacing a weak bulb with a stronger one will do wonders for improving the lighting of an area. If, however, a more extensive lighting fixture needs to be installed then so be it. After all, a property owner must maintain a safe environment for anyone who travels on the property. If this means investing a little extra money in order to improve safety then this is what the property owner must do.

If there was one thing the property owners must realize it is the fact that it is not optional to make the exterior of their property safe. If they do not take deliberate steps to remove any problems that might contribute to elderly falls, they can be held fully liable for any injuries that result. Therefore, it critically important that all property owners whose property is dimly lit make the necessary investments to illuminate the area. If not, the end result could be a major loss in court after being sued in the aftermath of an accident.