Floor Cleanliness Tips to Avoid Slips and Falls

Client falls are common causes of injury in any restaurant. Dropped food, puddles or poorly marked steps can injure clients if they fall in your business. A client could need medical treatment and rehabilitation after a fall. Additionally, a client could lose money while recovering from a fall injury.

Your restaurant could face a high risk of legal action by an injured party in these situations. Proper business liability insurance policies will often protect your business from slip-and-fall challenges.

Restaurant owners should consider it their duty to take proper steps to keep fall risks low. This will help a business protect customers and employees.

You can protect your business’ liabilities from slip-and-fall incidents. By taking the following safety steps, you can mitigate these risks.

Maintain Plumbing

Leaks and moisture can accumulate on indoor and outdoor surfaces. Check your bathrooms, kitchens and other taps frequently, if not daily. Take note of leaks immediately and call proper authorities to have them repaired.

You should also note if any appliances like air conditioning units have leaks. Make sure you’re aware of any leaks that may form in roofs or other parts of the structure when bad weather comes.

Isolate any leaks you do find. Do your best to place a basin and towels at the source of the leaks to collect water and keep a leak from spreading. Also place a “Wet Floor” sign near them.

Keep Pathways Clear

You know that it is easy for walkways in restaurants to become crowded. Diners push back chairs, and pathways become narrow. There is a lot of foot traffic in this area. This raises the risks of falls.

You should always make sure that you keep your pathways clear. Walking through your business several times a day could help you prevent falls. If you see a chair, table or other utensil causing an obstruction, move it out of the way.

Also identify risks that may not be easily fixable, such as exposed pipes or cracked flooring. Take time to post warning signs to let clients know that there is a problem.

Mark Hazards

Most localities have laws that require businesses to mark potential fall hazards. You should always mark wet floors with the familiar yellow cones. You should also mark stairwells, steps, exposed pipes, and other potential risks clearly.

If you have furnishings that may break when used, remove these from use and replace them. If someone spills a drink or food, immediately clean it up, and mark the area with a wet floor sign.

You should always do your best to make sure that you minimize fall risks in your business. This could keep your business from facing costly slip-and-fall lawsuits. This is not an exhaustive list. It is up to you to keep a shrewd eye on your environment.