For almost all business owners, taking on the risk of a potential personal injury lawsuit is just part of the cost of doing business. To ensure that the work environment is free of any hazards, a prudent business owner will always start by putting the proper safeguards in place. Not only is this for the benefit of the business, but the employees as well. No employee will ever want to
spend their entire day in an office where they fear danger lurking right at the corner.
As much as you try to keep your business safe, however, accidents are also unavoidable. You can’t really help it if someone gets hurt on your property in some cases. Luckily, there are things you can to do help prevent this from occurring and to protect your business in the event that someone does get personally injured at your place of business. So, while you can’t control the
happenstance of an accident, what you can control is the after effect, such that it ends up more favorable for both the business owner and your injured employee.
To help you figure out how to handle these types of situations, here are three ways you can protect your business from personal injury lawsuits.
Understand The Law
To best keep your business protected from a personal injury lawsuit, it’s going to be helpful for you to know and understand that laws that fall under this category. According to Le Trinh, a contributor to FindLaw.com, you as a business owner should at least be aware of the different types of personal injury laws and what you can do to be compliant to those laws.
Some of the laws you should study include premises liability, vicarious liability, product liability, negligence, and workers’ compensation. Depending on how the person is injured and who they are, they could file any one of the above mentioned types of claims, so it’s a good idea to know at least a basic knowledge of all of them so you can best know how to handle the situation.
To help you along that line, an injury attorney Joe Stephens can be a good lawyer on your side, not just to shed light on personal injury law, but also to represent you if your business still faces a personal injury lawsuit.
Create A Culture Of Injury Prevention
A great way to keep both your employees and your customers or clients safe while at your place of business is to make safety and injury prevention a part of your company culture. To help you do this effectively, Fred Cohen, a contributor to Business.com, advises that you train all your employees to recognize and take action when the spot something that could potentially cause harm to someone on the premises.
By always keeping an eye out for things that could result in someone getting injured, you should be able to avoid a lot of the injuries that otherwise might have been sustained on your property.
Know What The Claimant Needs To Prove
If the unfortunate circumstance of a personal injury suit does come against your company, it’s going to be helpful for your case to know exactly what the claimant will have to prove in order to win their case. Generally, this begins with proving that at the time the injury happened, they were gainfully employed in your company and that they were doing a job that’s about their functions.
According to Andrew Suszek, a contributor to AllLaw.com, the claimant has to prove that the business had the duty to care for their property, that they breached the duty, and that that breach of duty was what directly caused them harm.
By knowing this, you can better plan and prepare for how you’ll argue your own side of the case and disprove what the claimant is saying. However, do remember to be fair with your employee as well. If you know that you truly are at the erring end of the equation, then you might as well just settle things amicably with your employee. Don't put them on a losing end, just so you won’t have to pay any damages that are due them. An amicable settlement is the best way to shorten the trial and make it a win-win for both you and the employee concerned.
Takeaway
To help your business make it through a personal injury lawsuit, consider using the tips mentioned above as a protection for you. No matter the situation, it’s never a favorable one to be charged with a personal injury case. Not only can this be time-consuming, but it can also be costly for your business.
From the beginning, it pays to be proactive. Start by ensuring that your workplace is safe so that you can avoid or reduce the risks of injury. Despite this, if injuries still arise, having a personal injury lawyer by your side will always be one of the best solutions for you.
