You may not realize how important a brightly lit room is until it is inaccessible. That is, when you are working, the right amount of light can help you accurately deduce whether carrying out a certain action is safe or risky. Then, even as a passerby of a public property or a welcome visitor of a private property, lighting helps you navigate the walkways easily, all while avoiding seemingly hazardous conditions. So, please follow along to find out how poor lighting can injure you while working or visiting someone else’s property, and how one of the proficient Panama City slip & fall accident attorneys at Manuel & Thompson, PA can evaluate the legitimacy of your potential legal action.
How can I slip and fall from poor lighting in the workplace?
Generally speaking, the lighting in an area may be deemed adequate if it provides enough brightness for safety and visibility. Now, whether an area is sufficiently lit may be based on the task at hand. That said, a worker performing physical activities may require more light than a passerby simply walking down a hallway.
This is why the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) sets out adequate lighting standards for its covered employees. Namely, there is a specific “foot-candle” minimum for any given location, which measures the amount of illumination produced by a candle at a distance of one foot away. For example, general construction areas, warehouses, and certain underground work areas require five foot-candles. This is while shop areas require 10 foot-candles, and offices and first-aid stations require 30 foot-candles.
When an employer sets up a workplace that falls short of these minimum lighting requirements, one of their workers may slip and fall over unseen steps, uneven surfaces, or objects obstructing a designated walkway. Or, they may be unable to see controls and gauges on heavy machinery, causing a mishap of improper use. Lastly, over time, a worker may experience work-related injuries like poor vision from constantly straining their eyes or poor posture from getting in awkward positions to see their work.
How can I slip and fall from poor lighting on a property?
A property owner is responsible for replacing light bulbs and adding light fixtures to make for well-lit areas on their premise. Otherwise, as a welcomed visitor, you may be unable to identify the reasonable danger of slipping and falling. Below are examples of where you might experience this:
- You may slip and fall over a puddle in a hotel’s poorly lit pool area.
- You may slip and fall over a loose item or lifted carpet in a supermarket or retail store.
- You may slip and fall over a missing or loose step in a building’s stairwell or entranceway.
- You may slip and fall over uneven pavement in a building’s outdoor parking lot or sidewalk.
- You may slip and fall over a loose piece of equipment or wet floor in a gym facility.
To ensure your legal argument is well fleshed out, please seek the aid of one of the talented Panama City personal injury accident attorneys. You may rest better knowing that the team at Manuel & Thompson, PA will not let you enter this legal battle without being properly prepared. So please pick up the phone and request our services today.
