Do you remember the first time you went skiing? You probably started off with a nice slow chair lift that brought you to the top of a mountain. You slowly skied over to the edge and then you started your way down the ski hill. At first, you probably started off slow but then you started to gain momentum… before you knew it you were hurdling down the ski hill at full speed!
Now, you might be wondering: why is a line painting company starting off their blog post with a skiing analogy? This analogy might seem like a stretch, but hear us out… skiing is a slippery slope. Having slippery floors on your property could also result in a slippery slope! Keep reading to see what we mean.
The Chairlift: Being Unaware of Your Slippery Surfaces
Being unaware of your slippery surfaces is like the chairlift at a ski hill. Maybe your property was built in the summer and the winter snow and ice have yet to reveal the true slipperiness of your floors or walkways. Just like the nice slow chairlift that takes you to the top of the ski hill, you have no idea what’s in store!
Snow, ice, rain, and moisture can all increase the risk of slips and falls on your property. Ice is the leading cause of winter injuries, with over 9,000 Canadians hospitalized due to falls on ice in 2016-2017 (Canadian Underwriter). You may have no idea that your walkways or surfaces are prone to winter slipperiness until it’s too late. This is why it’s always better to be safe than sorry.
Skiing Towards the Edge: Ignoring Your Slippery Surfaces
As you ski towards the edge of the mountain, you now have a better idea of what lies ahead. In terms of your property, maybe you know that your surfaces are slippery or your walkways are prone to accumulating ice in the winter. Maybe you’ve even had a few small slips or received complaints about the slippery surfaces on your property.
If you’ve been lucky enough to avoid any major slips thus far, maybe you ignore the problem at hand. A serious fall probably won’t happen on your property, right? The mountain looks steep but it can’t be that bad, right?
The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety reports that over 42,000 workers get injured annually due to fall incidents. Of these falls, 67% result from slips and trips. If you’ve been lucky enough to avoid any serious injuries as a result of your slippery surfaces, this is your sign that it’s time to make a change before it’s too late. Get back on that chairlift before someone gets hurt!
Starting Down the Ski Hill: The First Major Slip on Your Property
So you ignored all the warning signs and didn’t do anything about your slippery floors. Instead of turning around and getting back on the chairlift, you started your way down the ski hill.
Your disregard for slippery surfaces could eventually cause a serious injury on your property. When people fall, fractures occur 5% of the time. However, falls also account for 21.3% of hospital emergency room visits (NFSI). It is not unlikely that a person could sustain a serious injury from a fall on your property. This may result in lost income or costly medical bills for the injured individual.
Barrelling Down the Ski Hill: Your Liability for Slips on Your Property
Now is the moment we’ve been warning you about. Once someone has slipped on your property, there’s no going back. Once you’re barrelling down the ski hill, there’s no climbing back up. If you’ve failed to take reasonable care to ensure that your premises are reasonably safe, you could be held liable if someone slips on your property.
A person who sustains an injury as a result of your negligence has the right to sue for pain and suffering, medical expenses, income loss as well as other expenses resulting from falls and injuries. Now, a person is seriously injured and your business is under serious fire! At this point, you’re not only skiing down the ski hill, you’re tumbling down uncontrollably.
Ditch the Slippery Slopes with EverLine Non-Slip Specialty Coatings
What if we told you that there’s a surefire way to avoid all of this chaos? Save yourself from this sticky situation and book a non-slip specialty coating service with EverLine!
At EverLine, we can help you eliminate the risk of someone slipping and falling on your property. Our experts can apply non-slip coatings to all types of indoor and outdoor surfaces to greatly improve the safety of your property. Our application crews have undergone specialized training to ensure you receive the highest-quality non-slip surface.
Would you like to add non-slip coatings to the surfaces on your property? Contact us today for a quote!
