To keep your premises safe, it is essential you have adequate lighting installed inside and outside. But what is adequate lighting?
Adequate lighting is defined as having enough light to complete a task at hand. Whether that task is walking to a car in a parking lot at night, being seated at a table inside a restaurant or climbing steps to get to a different level of a building, lighting — or a lack thereof — can lead to a successful or disastrous outcome.
Why is Adequate Light Needed?
When business owners do not have measures in place to keep people on their premises reasonably safe, accidents are more likely to happen, resulting in costly claims that can lead to higher insurance premiums in the future.
For example, inadequate lighting can lead to a slew of dangerous occurrences, including slips, trips, falls, robberies, break-ins, car accidents and more. By ensuring all accessible areas of your premises are sufficiently lit, you can lessen the potential for these types of accidents and your degree of liability if they occur.
Additionally, patrons may be hesitant to frequent a business if the location is inadequately lit. Properly maintaining the lighting at your property is essential to keep your business running smoothly, patrons safe and liability hazards to a minimum.
Did You Know?
Two million crimes occur in parking lots every year.
Where Should Lighting Be Installed?
Parking Lots
Poorly lit parking lots have the greatest potential for disaster because they can cause people to miss obstacles in their path, such as cracks, divots, holes, parking barriers, individuals with criminal intent and even oncoming traffic. (Poor lighting affects one’s ability to judge the distance and direction of others.)
Stairways
In dimly lit staircases, patrons may have difficulty judging step distance or height, increasing the potential for bad falls to happen.
Shrubbery and Landscaped Areas
When insufficiently lit, these areas are optimal hiding places for people with criminal intent. This can increase the potential for damage to your property or injuries to unsuspecting passersby.
While it is impossible to predict if or when an accident will happen, adequate lighting is an effective way to decrease the likelihood of a claim occurring at your premises.
Lighting Checklist
- Ensure all areas, including interior and exterior common areas and potential areas of concealment, are adequately illuminated.
- Exterior examples: doors, landscaping, vehicular entrances, pedestrian walkways, parking areas
- Interior examples: corridors, stairwells, elevators
- Maintain a regular schedule for checking that all lighting is working sufficiently.
