What is occupiers' liability?

• A. Occupiers owe a duty of care to entrants to take reasonable steps to ensure premises are reasonably safe; standards depend on visitor status (adult/child/contractor).
• B. Occupiers have no duty of care to entrants.
• C. Duty of care only extends to employees of the occupier.
• D. Occupiers are liable only for intentional harm.

Answer: (B)

Occupiers’ liability means the person who controls premises owes a duty of care to people who enter the premises to keep them reasonably safe from harm. The duty is not the same for everyone: lawful visitors like customers or invitees must be protected by taking reasonable steps to fix hazards or warn about them. For adults, the standard is what a reasonable person would do in those circumstances. For children, the standard is higher because they are more likely to be drawn to obvious dangers, so occupiers must take extra precautions. For other people such as contractors, there are duties related to safe access and ensuring that work conditions don’t create undue risk. The idea is that occupiers are responsible for addressing known or foreseeable hazards on their premises, rather than having no duty at all or only being liable for intentional harm.