Personal injury claims against supermarkets are common, with customers commonly slipping or tripping in the supermarket aisles. Any owner of a supermarket owes a duty of care to visitors of their store under the Occupiers Liability Act 1957. When that duty is breached, a personal injury is sustained due to the supermarkets negligence.
Under the 1957 Act, ‘An occupier of premises owes the same duty, “the common duty of care”, to all his visitors, except in so far as he is free to and does extend, restrict, modify or exclude his duty to any visitor or visitors by agreement or otherwise‘.
Visitors are to include customers, store staff, suppliers and delivery drivers. An occupier is to be seen as the individual in general control over the premises or in this instance supermarket in question.
The common duty of care is to ensure, as far as is reasonable, the safety of visitors in using the premises as intended. A supermarket would therefore need to ensure that store is kept in a reasonable state, with all spillages and breakages being cleaned up as quickly as possible, as to not act as a risk.
Common causes of slips or trips:
- Spillages of food or drink
- Damaged flooring
- Obstacles in aisles and walkways
- Wet floors
Supermarkets need to prove that they have provided adequate inspection and cleaning of the premises. Most supermarkets carry out regular inspections and risk assessments, but if a supermarket fails to follow written procedure, it will mean that they are liable for your personal injury.
If you have been injured by supermarkets negligence, you may be able to claim for compensation. To help support your claim, it is best to gather medical evidence, photographs of the scene and injuries plus a copy of the accident report from the supermarket.
Call us today on our free helpline – 0800 634 75 75. We are personal injury specialists and will be able to offer you free advice on your supermarket slip or trip.
