hiring grooming help

Question
If i hire a someone as a contract worker to help me with my grooming business and train them to bathe dogs and clip nails am I liable if they get bit or hurt in any way or would I need a release signed or what? Thanks for your help...

Answer
I guess that would depend on your arrangements. Whenever I've been bitten, I've always assumed it was my own stupid fault for letting my body parts get in the way<G>

Hownever, if you, as owner of the shop, are assigning the incoming dogs/cats, and your contract worker is given a particularly nasty dog, then I think it could be construed that you were liable since you agreed to take in that dog, particularly if you knew full well that it was a nasty dog.

A shop owner I once worked for took in a nasty (large) dog that bit me badly when its muzzle came off and I was helping her to get the muzzle back on the dog (she had been grooming it). In hindsight, I guess I could have sued her ass off. I was madder than H3LL but never thought to sue her (the least she could have done was give me a bonus though!) My mangled thumb still carries the scars from that dog which I ended up wrestling to the ground and sitting on in order to save myself from further injury as it was in full attack mode, while she put the muzzle back on it. (Mind you, I'm little and not too strong!)

You certainly should be carrying insurance for all contingencies, and a signed release sounds like it might be a good idea, but I would really check with an attorney in your area who is up on all your state laws and regulations in this regard.