CNA Financial released a Slip and Fall Study Report back in 2017 that property owners in Georgia should take note of. Flooring on business properties should be slip resistant. In technical terms, it should produce a dynamic coefficient of friction of at least 0.42, according to the American National Standards Institute. In 50 percent of the sites surveyed by CNA, however, the flooring failed to produce this DCOF.
For its report, CNA reviewed slip and fall liability claims from the start of 2010 to the end of 2016. It found retail trade and real estate companies to be the most subject to slip and fall accidents. Forty percent occurred on walking and working surfaces, especially flooring at the entrance. A third took place on parking lots, and 27 percent occurred on sidewalks leading up to business entrances. Less than 1 percent slipped on interior office flooring.
Slip and fall accidents follow a low-severity, high-frequency trend. CNA noted that many of the claims involved traumatic brain injuries and that the seriousness of the TBIs was greater in the case of general liability claims than workers’ compensation claims.
CNA advises business owners to check the slip resistance of their flooring with a tribometer. They should only use cleaning products and methods that fit with the floor type. Lastly, they should promote risk awareness among employees.
Lawful entrants who are injured in a preventable accident may be eligible for compensation, but they might want to hire an attorney who works in premises liability law before filing a claim. Attorneys usually have teams of investigators who can build up a claim with evidence. For example, they could show that the flooring did not meet the minimum DCOF threshold. Once the property owner’s negligence is established, the lawyer can negotiate for a settlement covering medical bills and other losses.