If you are unfortunate enough to sustain injury while doing your shopping, you may be entitled to make a claim for compensation.
There are many hazards at the supermarket to look out for, from spilt goods to high stacked shelves; and let’s not forget all the trolleys whether it be other shoppers or staff frantically transporting goods throughout the store. Such accidents come under the Occupiers Liability Act 1957. This law deals with lawful visitors whereas the Occupiers Liability Act 1984 deals with unlawful visitors or trespassers.
Obviously, as you visit the supermarket to do your shopping, you are a lawful visitor under the 1957 Act. This means that the supermarket owes you a duty of care to ensure that you are safe whilst in their premises.
The most common accident at a supermarket is from people tripping or slipping on goods that have been spilt on the floor. If you have ever witnessed goods being dropped on the floor in a supermarket, which I am sure most people have, you will often see a member of staff standing next to the spilt goods until it is cleaned up. This is obviously good practice to protect shoppers and staff. Alternatively the store may erect a warning sign which could be removed when the spillage is cleaned up and when the danger is gone.
There is a duty on supermarkets to keep the premises which they occupy reasonably safe. When something is dropped on the floor causing a slipping hazard it should be rectified as soon as possible to avoid injury to staff and to visitors. If there is a long delay and the spillage is left on the floor for some time, there is more chance of injury and more chance of finding negligence against the supermarket in question.
Another well known hazard is items falling from shelves which may cause injury. This may seem difficult to keep safe but generally shelves should not be too high so that shoppers have to stretch and generally heavier items should be kept on the lower shelves. If a light item falls on you it is unlikely to cause any or any significant injury whereas if a heavy item (I am thinking of a television or microwave for example) falls on you then this may cause a fairly significant injury. Common sense should prevail when a supermarket decides which items to put on the top shelf and which items to keep on the lower shelves.
If you have sustained an injury in a supermarket and you are interested in pursuing a claim for compensation then do not hesitate to contact us on telephone number 0800 634 75 75. We deal solely with personal injury claims and we can offer you some free, no obligation advice.
