Proving Negligent Supervision And Retention Of Employees

Are you thinking about hiring an attorney due to an accident or personal injury? Learn more about what to expect from the process.

Proving Negligent Supervision And Retention Of Employees

10 January 2017
 Categories: , Blog


Negligent supervision and retention is a legal principle that holds employers responsible for their employees' mistakes. If you are injured by an employee's negligence, you should investigate whether to hold both the employee and their employer liable for your injuries. Here are four ways of proving such a claim:

Permitting Misconduct

This is what happens if one employee misbehaves in the supervisor's presence, but the supervisor doesn't do anything to stop the behavior. In such a case, you can argue that the supervisor permitted or condoned the behavior. For example, a nursing home supervisor who doesn't act when they catch staff members playing dangerous practical jokes on the home's residents may be found guilty of negligent supervision. If the practical jokes lead to injuries, then both the employer and the responsible staff members will be required to compensate the victims.

Failing To Provide Appropriate Training

Each employer is expected to provide adequate training to employees working with dangerous goods. For example, employees who handle explosives (such as fireworks or fuel) must be trained on how to handle them safely. Therefore, when an employee's poor training results in an explosion that injures other people, the employer will also be held liable for the damages. 

Allowing Intoxicated Employees to Handle Dangerous Goods

Intoxication interferes with reasoning and judgment, which is why people aren't allowed to drive while intoxicated. An employer who knows that an employee is intoxicated must take appropriate measures to keep the employee away from dangerous goods and machinery. For example, when a crane operator shows up for work drunk, they shouldn't be allowed to operate the crane until they have sobered up. The employer is guilty of negligent supervision if they allow the intoxicated crane operator to operate the crane.

Failing To Supervise Employees

Lastly, an employer who fails to provide the necessary supervision to their employees may also be guilty of negligent supervision. Consider an example of an employer or supervisor at a mechanic shop who has a side business that takes up their time and, therefore, rarely shows up at the mechanic shop. If the staff at the mechanic shop are negligent, then the absent supervisor will also be held liable for the staffs' negligence.

Going after the employer helps you to broaden your sources of settlement collection. For example, if you just sue the employee, they may not have adequate insurance or assets to compensate your losses, and you may not get your entire judgment or settlement. If you manage to hold both the employee and the employer responsible for the injuries, you can get a little bit of money from both of them and end up with your entire judgment or settlement. Contact a personal injury attorney at a law firm like Schupak Law Firm for more information.

About Me
Important Questions Answered About Hiring Accident Attorneys

Hi, my name is Sarah Reynolds, and if you have questions about hiring an accident and personal injury attorney, you'll find the answers here. A few years ago, my husband was involved in an accident at work, and we decided to hire an attorney. Through this process, I learned so much about the legal system and why it's important to have an attorney on your side. The paperwork is overwhelming in itself, and it was hard for my husband and I to understand all the legal jargon. If you're thinking about hiring an attorney due to an accident or personal injury, you should first read my blog. I wanted others to learn this information beforehand, so they'll know what to expect when hiring an attorney and so they'll know the importance of legal representation.

Search