People love the Autumn months for the changing leaf colors, football, pumpkin spice lattes, cider mills, warm sweaters, haunted houses, and all of the fun fall activities that the crisp, cooler weather brings.
As we say goodbye to Summer, and hello to Fall we also need to think about what that means for your facility and the safety of your patrons. Leaves are falling and the days are getting shorter, reducing the hours of daylight. These two factors can greatly increase the possibility of a slip and fall accident at your establishment as well as lead to a potential lawsuit.
Leaves and other foliage can be a major hazard in the Autumn months. Dry leaves can cause a slip and fall accident, but even more caution needs to be exercised in wet/damp weather conditions. On rainy fall days water can easily get tracked indoors, on the bottoms of shoes, when people walk into the building - which can make many different types of flooring surfaces very slippery. With the seasonal changes and the cooler weather comes rain as well as the possibility of snow… Fall weather is very unpredictable!
Various weather conditions including high winds can carry leaves into unexpected areas including sidewalks, parking lots, and even commercial entranceways as people are coming in and out of the open doors. These leaves, combined with mud, slush, and other debris, can lead to increased risks to anyone walking inside. Not only can fallen leaves obscure potential trip hazards and safety concerns, but Autumn rain can also make leaves that have fallen on the ground wet, heavy, and slippery. Wet leaves can be almost as dangerous as ice, especially if they have ended up on the tile floor of a building entryway. Property owners are responsible for keeping sidewalks, footpaths, and building entranceways clear of wet leaves.
The days start to get shorter and shorter as the fall months go on and the amount of daylight starts to disappear; making it harder to see, increasing the risk of a slip and fall accident in your facility. The natural light starts to go away, and you are left with artificial light of a facility which can take some time for your eyes to adjust. It is important to have proper lighting both inside your facility and around the exterior of your building. Insufficient lighting, means limited visibility where individuals walk and can create an expensive lawsuit for your establishment if someone trips and falls on your property.
Fall décor is popular around many businesses, apartment complexes, hotels, and stores etc. It is important to ensure that all of these extra items/additional obstacles don’t cause a tripping hazard in your entranceway. A lot of these spooky decorations may also come with wires to plug in and can pose a serious tripping hazard if not properly maintained/hidden away from foot traffic.
Did you Know?
Aluminum Entrance Mats offer a convenient solution to keep your facility clean, safe, and beautiful no matter what season you are in and what elements your business is exposed to. The proper use of commercial entrance mats is one of the primary ways to prevent slip and fall accidents from occurring at your establishment.
The transition area where customers enter your building is one of the most vulnerable areas where an injury can occur on your property. When the floor surface is a hard floor (i.e., marble, tile, wood) and there is no entrance mat or runner in this transition area, the probability of a slip and fall accident is greatly increased, especially when the customers entering your building have wet footwear.
An effective entrance matting system should have a fall-through, an aggressive brush action, and drying/absorption capabilities. Heavy-duty carpet inserts are highly efficient at scraping dirt and wiping moisture from everyday footwear traffic; while also preventing dirt, debris, and leaf fragments from being tracked into your facility.
Aluminum entrance mats help keep your commercial building clean and safe; minimizing costly slip and fall accidents from occurring in your facility and helping you avoid an expensive lawsuit. They also save you time and resources on cleaning and maintenance expenses. Aluminum entrance mats are built to last, and they are designed to maximize performance in your commercial building.
Contact Ronick today for all of your entrance needs, our team is here to help you ensure that the falling leaves do not lead to rising risks for your establishment.
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