Did you know you are supposed to be worried about sidewalk safety even after spending a lot of money to start your business? You might not have thought about this, but the truth is that it is important for you and your business.
Picture this — you have started a business along a busy street. However, the sidewalks are poorly maintained, and no one worries about the people who use them. Do you think you would attract any customers?
In addition, what do you think would happen if someone slipped and injured themselves in front of your business? Well, let us discuss some of the things you should know about sidewalk safety as a small business owner.
Whose Responsibility Is It?
Even if you have talked about sidewalk safety in your lease agreement, it might also be your responsibility. Chances are you have avoided businesses that do not care about their sidewalks or parking lots. So, why wouldn’t people do the same to your business?
If your lease does not specify whether you are responsible for your sidewalk safety, then it means that the responsibility might be solely yours. Even if it does, would you still wait for your landlord to take care of it, even when they take as much time as they want?
What about injuries to pedestrians due to neglect? According to a personal injury law firm in Philadelphia, if a pedestrian is injured on your sidewalk, you might end up becoming primarily liable if you did not ensure that the sidewalk is safe and in a good condition.
What About Providing Sidewalks?
What about making sure that there are sidewalks around your business? Are you also responsible for this? Well, if you own the property, you should make sure that you have provided safe sidewalks for everyone accessing your property.
If you are not, you should look for ways of ensuring that any person who visits your business or works for you can get around the business on foot through dedicated sidewalks. You also need to make sure that the sidewalks are clearly marked.
If, for instance, a customer is moving from your office to the parking lot outside or along the road, they should not struggle to find their way. The only way you can enforce this is by having proper markings on sidewalks.
Maintain Your Sidewalks to Make Them Safe
You have identified a property that you think is well-suited for your small business and even went ahead and started the business. You have also made sure that there are sidewalks around the property. So, are you also supposed to maintain the sidewalks?
Well, if you have sidewalks that have many hazards, you will have many pedestrians getting into accidents along and near your business. For example, you might have a driver swerving and hitting a pedestrian. Is this something you would like around your business?
In addition, imagine a pedestrian using your uneven sidewalk stumbling into traffic and getting involved in an accident! If these are things you want to avoid in front or along your business, ensure that you have improved sidewalk safety by maintaining and keeping all sidewalks in good condition.
Correct Signage Is Important
You might have done everything we have discussed above to maintain sidewalk safety, but if you do not have the correct signage, then you need to be worried. Would a pedestrian be wrong if they were hit by a car and blamed you for lack of signage?
Well, the first thing you should do is to ensure that you have all the required signs showing both drivers and pedestrians what they should do. If you have a crosswalk, for instance, ensure that you have a yield, slow, or even stop sign.
However, before adding anything along the main road, you should check what local and state laws require from small businesses. The last thing you want to be dealing with is breaking the law and getting fined. Or do you have money lying somewhere ready to be handed over to the authorities?
Promote Sidewalk Safety Among Employees
If you have started a small business along a busy street, chances are that you have several people working for you. When training them, you should think about sidewalk safety and find ways you can promote it as part of your workplace culture.
As much as you should be concerned about your customers and pedestrians along your business, you also need to think about employees. What do you think would happen to you if an employee is injured at the workplace? Chances are that they would take days off even though you are still paying their salaries.
To avoid all these issues, implement a safety program at the workplace that trains your employees about ways they can protect themselves and reduce hazards. You should make sure that they are safe all the time, whether inside or along the sidewalks.
As you can see above, you are supposed to think about sidewalk safety as a small business owner. This will not only keep your employees safe but also pedestrians and anyone else visiting your business.
