Businesses and residential buildings need to be safe for the people who come and go through them. Property owners need to maintain clean and safe facilities to protect themselves from liability.
Having mats or rugs near an entrance way can be both a source of risk for a slip-and-fall and a way to protect visitors from getting hurt while on the property.
How can they be helpful?
Industry professionals that look into flooring and business safety recommend between 10 and 15 feet of rugs or mats near every entrance to a business. These mats can help collect up to 90% of the dirt and moisture that people track in from outdoors.
By keeping all of the sand, grit, mud and rainwater in one area, rugs and mats help keep the floors of the business clean and reduce the risk of people slipping and falling because of something other visitors have tracked inside.
How can they be dangerous?
Even if they aren’t soaking wet or very dirty, if workers don’t properly secure the rugs and they get pulled up or wrinkled, they couldn’t trip someone and make them fall. Improperly positioned mats and rugs can also cause issues for strollers, walkers, crutches and shopping carts.
As with any other resource in a business, careful maintenance is necessary for rugs and mats to be beneficial rather than harmful for the safety standards in a business. If the poor condition of a mat or rug or the lack of any floor covering caused you to be injured, you may be able to seek compensation from the property owner or other party with responsibility for the area.
