I’m going to discuss the duty your employer has when it comes to working in an environment where a wet floor is common in the workplace.
Say you work in a car wash, or a water plant, or somewhere where the floor is likely to be wet. If this is the case, then can you claim for compensation for slippingon a wet floor at work?
After all, if the floor is wet because of the nature of the business, what can your employer do to prevent an accident occurring? For that answer, we turn to the relevant legislation…
Condition of floors and traffic routes
- The floor, or surface of the traffic route, shall have no hole or slope, or be uneven or slippery so as, in each case, to expose any person to a risk to his health or safety
- Every such floor shall have effective means of drainage where necessary
- So far as is reasonably practicable, every floor in a workplace and the surface of every traffic route in a workplace shall be kept free from obstructions and from any article or substance which may cause a person to slip, trip or fall.
The regulations clearly show that there is an important duty on your employer to make sure that the floor is not a slipping hazard to employees. Now, as I said above, what about in circumstances where you would expect the floor to become wet? Regulation 2(b) states that there should be effective means of drainage where necessary – so using the car wash example, your employer should do all they can to have a good drainage system in place to prevent surface water from accumulating. This is one step they could take.
Another step they could take is by providing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as well gripped shoes or boots, and ensuring that employers are trained and instructed to take care in areas that are liable to become wet, and ensuring appropriate signage is in place to warn people of the hazard.
The duty is on your employer to make sure that the regulations are abided by, so if they fail to uphold their duty and you suffer an accident at work due to slipping and sustain an injury as a result, you may have a claim for compensation.
It’s all about determining whether there were reasonable steps that your employer should have been expected to have taken.
Our job here at The Injury Lawyers is to assess the facts of the case and establish whether there has been a breach of the regulations. If we can prove that there has, your employers insurance should compensate you for any injuries sustained.
If you have any queries about a potential claim of any kind, call our claims team free from a landline or mobile on 0800 634 7575. We will talk you through your claim and, if accepted, make sure that you receive the most compensation possible to give you peace of mind and help ease any financial worries you might have suffered as a result of your injury.
