One of the main causes of trips at work is uneven floor surfaces. Common examples of uneven floor surfaces include raised tiles or where the floor has not been levelled correctly. These can cause accidents with lasting injuries.
The Law
The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, regulation 12(1) states that: ‘every floor in a workplace and the surface of every traffic route in a workplace shall be of a construction such that the floor or surface of the traffic route is suitable for the purpose for which it is used.’
This means that all floor surfaces at work should be suitable for what they are used for. If it is a restaurant kitchen floor, and tiles are raised then this would be unsuitable for the purpose for which is it used as it could cause someone to trip.
Regulation 12(2)(a) further states that the floor ‘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.’
This means that the floor should be fit for its purpose and outlines some instances of when it will not be suitable. This includes where the floor has holes, slopes, is uneven or slippery. If you have tripped on a floor at work and it has any of these faults, the Regulations
Example
Someone works in an office and has to walk to and from another floor. On the way to that other office, the floor should not be uneven as it is meant to be free of obstructions for the purpose for which it is used. The purpose for which it is used is to provide a walkway from one office to the other. If the floor sloped to the right and the employee was walking to the office and fell, he could claim for the injury he received as the floor was sloped and uneven.
To Conclude
At The Injury Lawyers we are very experienced in dealing with slips and trips at work claims so if you have fallen and been injured then call us today to see if you can make a claim! Call us now on 0800 634 75 75 – and we still offer a 100% compensation agreement!
Legislation: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/
