Inadequate Security and Its Risks

Risks of Inadequate Security

You may be surprised to find that there are tons of organizations left without adequate security in the U.S. Security breaches cause an outstanding 15 billion dollars of damage worldwide every year. Often times, organizations are not spending enough money on security or spend too much on security but funnel it into the wrong sources. A lot of the time, this is due to the fact that businesses fail to understand the business needs for security.

What constitutes adequate security? 

Many different entities consider having adequate security for their residence each year, such as properties, hospitals, industrial facilities, and more. Adequate security is used to protect many people within these properties. Businesses must consider many things on their property, but safety and liability should be first and foremost. There are many factors that are taken into consideration when determining what an adequate level of protection is. Some of these factors include the basis of security understanding as well as level of protection, threat level, accepted security practices, legal compliance, environment, incident history, and liability.

If a plaintiff wants to bring about a case of negligent security, they must show that the landowner of the building failed to exercise reasonable care when looking out for those who would venture onto the property. If the landowner believes that there are high rates of crime in the area, for instance, he or she would have to adequately warn visitors about it either through verbal telling or signs. The plaintiff in a case would have to show that the duty of care was breached and that they were hurt solely because of a foreseeable act by the defendant. If the plaintiff incurred damages because of negligence, the defendant could be fully liable. Take, for example, a situation in which a rape occurs in a parking lot attached to a company building. If there were no prior rapes in the area before this incident, it would probably not be seen as foreseeable, but more as a one-time incident. Therefore, there is a possibility that the landowner would not be seen as liable.

Business Owner’s Duty

There are four types of duties that a business owner has when they are managing a property. They include the following:

• Administrative Duty: When somebody owns a business property, they must be able to report and collect information of criminal activity that has happened nearby.
• Interior Security: There should be security policies in place inside the building premises.
• External Security: Security systems and proper lighting must be on the property as well as the attached parking lot.
• Employee Security: Background checks should be conducted on job applicants and employees. This is a measure taken to protect the elderly and children. Workers should also be adequately trained and supervised.

Mostly every inadequate security case that is brought up in court is because of negligent security procedures. Some considerations that need made include the physical conditions of the property, the procedural conditions, and prior criminal conduct in the area. You may wonder if you should have an attorney on your side for assistance if you have been injured on somebody else’s property. Call us today at Maggiano, DiGirolamo & Lizzi for more information.