Winter can be a messy season for schools, as children bring wet snow, ice, and slush into the facility with their boots. Unfortunately, all of this wetness can increase flip-and-fall injuries, which may put a school in a difficult legal situation. Thankfully, high-quality professional janitorial services can protect schools from this danger.
Slippery Floors Can Be Dangerous in a School
Schools, no matter their size, are filled with a large number of people every day. When floors are slippery in a school, students and faculty alike may experience a high rate of slip-and-fall injuries. For example, excessively waxed floors in Massachusetts once caused 22 slip-and-fall injuries in one day, forcing the school to shut down until the problem could be fixed.
And these injuries weren’t always minor bumps and bruises either. Some individuals experienced severe head and back injuries, including concussions, as well as broken bones and sprained muscles. Though this situation didn’t occur due to winter weather, the snow season is typically the worst time for similar injuries.
Winter Conditions Cause Slippery Floors
Winter in snowy areas is typically the wettest season of the year. Snow, ice, and slush are on the ground nearly every day, increasing the risk of slippery floors in all buildings with hard floors. This risk is even higher in schools with hundreds or even thousands of children wearing wet boots and thick snow pants.
Unfortunately, children excited to get to their next class or to go outside for recess may rush through these wet areas and experience a slip and fall. When this happens, the school is likely to be at the center of a serious lawsuit and may not be able to avoid liability charges.
School Authorities Are Usually Liable
Though a slip-and-fall injury at school can happen in many circumstances, the school is typically liable for the injuries. Liability falls on the school due to its legal duty of care for each child. When a child is on school property during school hours, the facility’s authorities must take action to ensure that their children are safe from injury.
These actions include ensuring that floors are safe during the winter. Even though children may be dragged in snow and water with them when they enter the school every day, officials must take action to clean these floors as soon as possible to prevent injury. And if their janitorial staff cannot keep up, professional cleaning services help keep floors dry and safe.
Cleaning Services Help Avoid This Problem
Regular professional janitorial services provide schools with slip-free floors that protect children from injury. These services identify spots where slips are most likely to occur, cleaning and drying these areas thoroughly to keep children safe.
In addition to regular cleaning, our services include setting up warning signs around persistently wet areas to keep students informed of the dangers. This proactive approach helps reduce accidents and mitigate the school’s liability.
Beyond these immediate safety measures, our janitorial services can also apply slip-resistant sealants to floors. These treatments not only make floors safer during wet conditions but also protect against long-term damage, stains, and wear. The result is a safer, more durable floor that withstands the challenges of a busy school environment.
Regular professional janitorial services provide schools with slip-free floors that protect children from injury. These services identify spots on school floors where slips are most likely to occur. Then, cleaning professionals work hard to clean these areas and dry them thoroughly to keep children safe from slipping on wet areas.
For example, cleaning services will not only clean a floor but also set up signs around persistently wet areas to keep students away from them. In this way, students receive a proper warning about the dangers of walking in slippery areas. If the student then decides to walk on these areas after being warned, their injury is their fault, and liability typically does not fall on the school.
Beyond these benefits, many professional janitorial services can add a slip-free barrier to a floor that makes it more difficult to fall on a floor when it is dry. These sealants also help protect the floor’s surface from contamination, stains, and wear-and-tear damage.
Professional Help Keeps Schools Safe
The danger of slippery floors in winter makes regular cleaning services a wise decision for any school. So those who run a school or work for one should call or visit our office at Advanced Office Care LLC to set up an inspection appointment.
With the help of our cleaning professionals, a school floor can be made safe and slip-free during the wettest winter months.
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