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Straight Talk: Demystifying Litigation on Slip, Trip, and Fall Legal Issues

Categories: Cleaning Best Practices, Cleaning for Health & Safety, Straight Talk!

Anyone the cleans and maintains floors needs to be concerned about not only protecting building occupants from injuries but also their business’s pocketbook from costly litigation. There’s a misconception that slips, trips, and falls are the result of professional criminals looking to make a quick buck. But in reality, slips, trips, and falls injuries are mostly legitimate, with fraud only accounting for 3-5% of all cases.  

Russ Kendzior is all too familiar with slips, trips, and falls litigation, having weighed in on more than 1,100 cases. Not only is he the author of Falls Aren’t Funny: America’s Multi-Billion Dollar Slip-and-Fall Crisis, but he is also the founder and chairman of the National Floor Safety Institute (NFSI). For more than 25 years his non-profit organization has provided a wide range of safety services and educational training.

In this episode of Straight Talk!, the third in a series on floor safety with Kendzior, learn more on how the cleaning industry can stay out of the courtroom. Kendzior sits down with ISSA Media Director Jeff Cross to discuss the rise of surveillance videos and how it is used by lawyers on both sides of litigation. He also delves into resolutions via settlement and offers some simple steps to reduce the risk of slippage and hopefully, in turn, avoid costly problems down the road.

Watch or listen to the complete episode below to hear recommendations from NFSI for keeping your floors clean and your business out of the courtroom. You can also download an audio MP3 of the episode here. 

Part one of Straight Talk!’s interview with Kendzior can be accessed here while part two is available here.

About the Author.

Jeff Cross is the ISSA media director, with media brands that include ISSA Today, Cleaning & Maintenance Management, and Cleanfax. He can be reached at [email protected] or 740-973-4236.