Articles Posted in Health and Safety Reports

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200389576-001While a place we visit daily may not feel dangerous, many workplace parking lots leave employees vulnerable to theft, assault or vehicle break-ins. The parking lot design, location, security measures, and hours of operation can present or deter the risk of workplace violence.

The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) has compiled a list of safety guidelines to help employees protect themselves and reduce their risk of becoming victims of parking lot violence:

General Employee Parking Lot Do’s and Dont’s

Always:

  • Park near your building in a highly visible and well-lit area.
  • Park near the parking attendant or a well-lit exit.
  • Use the main building entrance — avoid secluded exits.
  • Keep your valuables, including purses and recent purchases, out of sight.
  • Lock the doors and roll up windows once you are in the vehicle.
  • Have a plan ahead of time. Know where you can go for safety and how to call for help.

Never:

  • Do not park next to large vehicles as they will block your sight.
  • Do not have a personal identification tag on your key ring.
  • Do not approach someone loitering near your vehicle. Walk to a safe place such as a lighted store, house or building. Call the police.

Workplace Parking After-Dark or in High-Risk Neighborhoods

Always:

  • Try to walk with a friend, co-worker or security officer. Give your escort a ride back to the main entrance so they do not have to walk back alone.
  • If you have to walk alone:
    • Have a co-worker watch you from a window.
    • Wave to them on the way to your vehicle.
    • Wave even if no one is watching to give the illusion that someone is watching you.
    • Stay on well-lit streets and in the center of the sidewalk. Stay away from hiding spots, such as bushes, doorways, alleys and parked cars. Cross the road if necessary.
  • Be alert to your surroundings. Walk with confidence. Keep your head up and look around.

Never:

  • Do not dig in your purse or bag.
  • Do not wear headphones, use a cellphone or other distraction.
  • Do not carry heavy briefcases or bags that may get in the way.

Approaching Your Vehicle

  • Be prepared when you leave your business or when leaving your car for work. Have ready:
    • Your keys to unlock the vehicle.
    • Your keys or cardkey to unlock the building doors.
    • A whistle or other personal alarm.
  • As you approach your car, look around, inside and even glance underneath for people who may be present. If you are suspicious, walk away. Go to a safe place and call for help.
  • Report suspicious behavior to the parking lot attendant, security or police.

See complete workplace parking lot safety guidelines at CCOHS.

Parking lot owners and managers are required by law to provide a safe premises for all patrons legally on their property and to prevent foreseeable third-party criminal attacks, such as rapes, shootings, assaults, or robberies. For example, should a proprietor have reason to anticipate a criminal act based on knowledge of a security lapse or a previous crime on or near property, he or she then has a duty to exercise ordinary care to deter such crime and protect those legally on their premises from harm.

We’ve Recovered Millions for Victims of Parking Lot Security Negligence…Contact us Now for a Free Consultation.

The Murray Law Firm has extensive and successful experience in representing victims of parking lot security negligence.  We offer our legal assistance, if desired.  We represent our Clients on a contingency agreement, which generally means that no fees or payments are owed until and unless we recover.  Anyone seeking further information or legal representation is encouraged to contact us via e-mail (click here) or by telephone at 888.842.1616. Consultations are free and confidential.

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Swimming-Pool-200x300Apartment and Hotel Pool Owner Responsibility

A recent rise in hotel and apartment complex swimming pool drownings has illuminated the critical need for property owners to follow state and federal pool safety regulations.

The CDC warns, “Aquatics professionals have a responsibility to provide a safe and healthy swimming environment for their patrons. Maintaining good water quality requires pool operators and staff to have specific skills.”

Water Quality

This critical responsibility of monitoring water quality is carried over to apartment and hotel owners who provide swimming opportunities to their residents and guests. Cloudy water can prohibit the safe monitoring of swimmers in the pool and the fast rescue of swimmers in distress. Dangerous chemical levels can cause serious injury to lungs, eyes and skin. High bacterial levels can spread rash and illness. As such, it is imperative that apartment and hotel owners employ aquatics professionals to monitor water quality and ensure water visibility is clear and chemical and bacterial levels are safe.

Safe Pool Area Design

The CDC also provides guidelines for safe swimming pool design, including proper fencing, non-skid pool area surfaces, visible cautionary signage, safe structural elements (such as fountains and ladders), and safe drainage.

Enforcing Rules

Pool safety rules, including maximum occupancy, hours of operation, life guard availability, and prohibited items or behavior, should be visibly posted and enforced. Overcrowding can lead to drownings and poor swimmer visibility. As such, pool area occupancy rates must meet fire codes and be enforced by staff. Pool access should be properly secured after hours. Hazardous items and behavior, such as glass or diving in shallow waters, should be prohibited and offenders should be removed.

Victims of Swimming Pool Negligence

Unfortunately, a CDC report reveals, “Almost 1 in 8 (12.1% or 13,532 of 111,487) routine pool inspections conducted during 2008 identified serious violations that threatened public health and safety and resulted in an immediate closure.”

Apartment and hotel owners have a duty to protect residents and guests legally on property from any foreseeable harm. Should these property owners fail to provide adequate swimming pool safety measures, victims may elect to pursue a legal claim for any injuries or wrongful deaths, which occur as a consequence. Under such a claim, victims and their families may be entitled to substantial compensation. Given the complexities of pursuing such a potential case, it is imperative that the victims retain an experienced attorney who can ensure the preservation of any and all evidence that may support such a claim.  Based upon its prior experience in handling apartment and hotel negligence claims, The Murray Law Firm suggests that photographs and a through, unbiased inspection of the property will need to be performed immediately, before any evidence may be repaired, damaged or destroyed.

We Fight for Victims of  Apartment and Hotel Negligence…Contact us Now for a Free Consultation.

The Murray Law Firm has recovered millions of dollars for victims of apartment and hotel negligence.  We offer our legal assistance, if desired.  We represent our Clients on a contingency agreement, which generally means that no fees or payments are owed until and unless we recover.  Anyone seeking further information or legal representation is encouraged to contact us via e-mail (click here) or by telephone at 888.842.1616. Consultations are free and confidential.

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Nightclub Bar SceneThe DC Metropolitan Police Department has released their Best Practices for Nightlife Establishments report, outlining how nightclub owners can develop a safe nightlife atmosphere for patrons. While the full report addresses a variety of crucial nightclub security guidelines, including age verification, intoxication, employee training, and security procedures, this article specifically focuses on the DCPD best practices for preventing nightclub sexual assault.

It is your responsibility as establishment owners and managers to ensure that your customers enjoy the evening as safely as possible. These precautions help create a positive relationship between you and your neighbors, and they help ensure that your establishment is free from any illegal activity. –DC Metropolitan Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier

Developing a Safe Nightlife Atmosphere: Preventing Sexual Assault

  1. Management and employees can help to prevent their premises from being exploited by sexual aggressors, who may seek to take advantage of vulnerable patrons. Alcohol is the most common substance aggressors use to facilitate sexual assault. Both the aggressor and the target may have impaired judgment and lower awareness as a result of alcohol consumption, leading to a greater chance of sexual violation anywhere along the spectrum from harassment to violent assault. However, the environment around a sexual aggressor can make a difference in their behavior.
  2. Young women are statistically most likely to be the target of unwanted sexual attention and aggression, but it’s important to keep in mind that anyone may be a target, including patrons of gay establishments. Aggressors often present themselves as friendly, seeking to get to know a target, buying them drinks, or otherwise displaying a romantic interest. Aggressors may also engage in unwanted contact such as pressing up against someone on the dance floor, groping, or “up- skirt” grabbing. If bar staff notice any of these behaviors, it may be useful for them to ask the target if s/he would like any intervention and/or keep a close eye on the situation in case it escalates.Escalation can also take place off-premises. A common scenario is for an aggressor to initiate an inter- action on the premises, isolate the target from her friends, and then persuade or pressure the target to leave with him. Employees should be attuned to behavior that seems overly familiar or aggressive under the circumstances, especially if the potential target is visibly intoxicated or seems to be impaired.
  3. Establishment personnel should offer to call a cab for the vulnerable or impaired person, and closely observe as patrons leave to see if they seem to be able to navigate safely. Security personnel at the door or outside are well positioned and should observe when patrons leave. They should also take general note of whom patrons arrive with and whether they leave with the same group or someone else. Note that aggressors may seek to get targets drunk or drugged, encourage them to get some air, and then pull up in a car or hail a cab to take them away.
  4. If establishment personnel sense that something is awry, either when an aggressor is purchasing drinks for a potential target who is visibly intoxicated, isolating her from her friends, or trying to leave with her, personnel should make it clear to the aggressor that they have been observed by asking them in front of others how they’re doing or if they need some help. Staff can also use distraction techniques to separate the target from the aggressor, such as telling the potential target that her friends are looking for her. If possible, employees should make a note of the circumstances, the descriptions of the parties, or any other information that could become relevant at a later time. However, establishment managers and staff should make every effort to keep patrons safe and proactively intervene if they observe any suspicious or problematic behaviors.
  5. Encourage groups to designate one person as a chaperone and perhaps identify this person with a wristband. This person could be served non-alcoholic beverages at a discount for the night.
  6. For prevention of assaults on the premises, maintain surveillance cameras outside restroom doors, and consider employing a restroom attendant. Ensure that restrooms are used by the appropriate gender. If the restrooms are gender-segregated, monitor to ensure that men do not enter the women’s restroom (keeping in mind that some people who appear to be one gender may in fact be another). Surveillance cameras should be monitored throughout the night, especially near closing time. Ensure that storage areas and other restricted areas are kept locked and secured. Closed darkened areas create a potential danger.
  7. Support staff, including porters, barbacks, busboys, and kitchen staff, should receive sexual assault awareness training that will help them be aware of patron behavior and recognize potential perpetrator behaviors that may lead to sexual assault, especially as these employees work in or pass through areas that are dark or restricted. As part of their training, employees should be instructed to immediately report any suspicious or problematic behavior to a supervisor or manager.
  8. Establishments can send a clear message that there is zero tolerance for sexual assault by posting signs letting patrons know that their safety is a priority, and including on the signs who among the staff a patron can approach if they need assistance.

  9. Perhaps most important, management and employees should trust their instincts regarding possible predatory behavior they may observe. If something doesn’t seem right, it probably isn’t. Management should communicate to employees, ideally by establishing a written policy, that they support proactive efforts to address suspicious, aggressive, or predatory behavior. If possible, employees should make notes of any situation they observed for later reference if needed.

    Visit DC Metropolitan Police Department for Complete Best Practices for Nightlife Establishments Report.

Victims of Nightclub Sexual Assault

By law, nightclub owners and managers are required to protect all patrons legally on the premises from any foreseeable harm. Should a nightclub owner or manager fail in this legal duty, victims of nightclub sexual assault may elect to pursue a legal claim for their injuries and suffering. Under such a claim, victims of sexual assault may be entitled to an award of damages that could include, among other items, substantial monetary compensation for: pain and suffering; past and future medical expenses; loss of wages and future earning capacity; disfigurement; and, mental anguish.

Photographs and a thorough inspection of the scene will need to be performed on behalf of the victim immediately before any evidence, such as register receipts or surveillance footage, may be destroyed. As such, it is imperative that nightclub sexual assault victims speak with an experienced premises liability firm immediately to ensure their interests are protected.

We are here to Help. Contact us for a Free Consultation.

The Murray Law Firm has extensive and successful experience in representing victims of nightclub sexual assault and security negligence in and we offer our legal expertise, if desired. Anyone seeking further information or legal representation is encouraged to contact us at 888.842.1616. Consultations are free and confidential.

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