Paul Horton: Slip and Fall Accident Lawyer

You go to great lengths to make sure your home in Salt Lake City, Utah, is safe for your family. Unfortunately, you can’t be a hermit and lock yourself away from every danger in the world. Eventually, you have to leave the house to get food, toothpaste or to visit your lawyer.

Your kids will have to go to school. Let’s face it, you also have to leave the house for work. You don’t have control over how safe the store, your workplace or your kid’s school keep their facilities, but that doesn’t mean you’re helpless.

Slip and Fall at the Grocery Store

There are precautions you can take, but it’s hard not to feel helpless when one of your loved ones gets injured in a slip and fall accident at the grocery store. You had no control of the environment.

The injury could have been caused by the negligence of the staff at the store. They should be held accountable in order to guarantee that others are safe. Hopefully, it doesn’t get that far. Ideally, store owners will minimize risks by cleaning spills promptly and placing mats at the entrances of the store during the wet seasons. However, you should always stay vigilant of hazardous environments.

Slip and Fall at Work

Whether you work in an office building or a factory, there are certain places around the vicinity that pose greater slip and fall risks than others. Make sure you are aware of these places. Be aware of the icy front steps in the winter. Or even worse, watch out for the slippery entrance way where the melted snow has created standing water.

Your employer is responsible for salting the steps outside and taking care of standing water in the entrance. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be careful anyway. Take the advice of your lawyer and be careful on slick surfaces.

Slip and Fall at School

There are a lot of students at public schools. That means a lot of foot traffic, especially at the elementary level where kids are frequently going outside for recess then tracking water back in. Now add the boisterous nature of children, loose shoe-laces and an understaffed janitorial team. Can you see why your lawyer is concerned about slip and fall accidents?

Teach the members of your family to always be aware of their surroundings. It’s not good enough to rely on others to make sure they are safe.

WORKING SAFELY IN HIGH RISK ENVIRONMENTS

From welding to construction, mining and more, there are a lot of tough, risky jobs in Salt Lake City. In order to keep you or your family members safe and avoid the need for a wrongful death lawyer, let’s take a look at tips for staying safe at work in high-risk positions.

Stay Aware

The best thing you can do is to be aware of your surroundings and what your risks are. What things around you might cause injury? Are there any functions being performed unsafely that you can see? Can you make certain areas of your workplace safer by keeping things more orderly?

Use Proper Safety Equipment

While most companies are required to provide safety gear to their employees, it’s still up to you to make sure you’re wearing it. The last thing you want is to have your family tied up in a wrongful death case because you didn’t wear your gear. Be sure to check with your employer or with the Salt Lake City Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) office to see what kind of safety equipment you need in your industry. A lawyer might also tell you there can be fines associated with not complying with OSHA regulations.

Follow Protocol and Use Common Sense

Most companies have a prescribed way of completing certain tasks that ensure they’re done safely. Be sure to follow all safety measures for any activity, and use common sense for any new ones. If it seems like completing a task a certain way might be dangerous, find another way.

If You See Something, Say Something

All too often, injuries occur because an employee didn’t say something to a fellow employee about safe practices. If you see someone not following safety protocol or not wearing proper equipment, voice your concerns to him.