The subject of injury liability may come into play when someone goes to another North Carolina resident’s home to do work or perform a job. If a homeowner hires other people to babysit, clean rooms, mow the lawn, provide repair services or perform other types of labor, they have a responsibility to provide a safe environment for the job.

Premises liability pertains to the responsibility that property owners have to provide a safe environment to other people who enter the grounds. When a property owner hires someone to do work, that person is considered an invitee, someone deserving the highest level of protection. Invitees are not only those who are welcome on a property but also those whose presence provides some form of material benefit to the property owner. In addition to tradespeople performing a job, customers at a store are also invitees. Under the law, homeowners have to provide a safe space for the work and warn of any dangers.

Of course, homeowners also have a responsibility to other people on their property who are not there to work. Social guests and family members are known as licensees; these are people who are welcome to be on the property but no financial benefit is involved in their presence. Property owners must not willfully injure licensees, and they must also warn guests about dangers that they know of in the house.

When someone goes to work in another person’s home, they have a right to expect a safe workspace that will not cause injury. If a property owner’s negligence causes a worker’s injury, legal ramifications may be warranted. A personal injury lawyer could seek compensation on behalf of the worker.