Slipping accidents in restaurants are usually the result of wet and slippery floors and outdoor surfaces, which may be due to recent cleaning, spilled drinks, food and litter, rainwater trampled inside or ice and snow in winter. When such hazards cannot be sorted out immediately by staff, warning signs, protective barriers and anti-slip matting should be used to prevent customers from accessing the particular surface and risk slipping over.
When a customer slips and falls through no fault of their own due to a slippery floor in a restaurant, it will often be the result of negligence on the part of management or staff. Restaurant managers are responsible for devising and implementing an efficient system of inspection and cleaning which results in slipping hazards being identified and dealt with as quickly as possible. They must also ensure that sufficient staff are available to maintain safety standards at all times.
Customers may also be burnt in restaurants due the negligence of management and staff. Hot drinks or food may be spilled over diners by restaurant servers, for example, when the latter are handing a hot drink across a counter or serving food at a table. Carelessness and failure to pay proper attention on the part of individual staff members is often the cause of this type of accident, which may leave first or second degree burn injuries, and long-term or even permanent scarring.
Restaurant owners owe a duty of care to their customers, and under the terms of the Occupiers Liability Act 1957 must take all reasonable measures to protect them from getting injured while dining on the premises. CCTV footage from a restaurant is often helpful in proving the precise circumstances of an accident. Contact our solicitors with expertise in claiming compensation for slips and burns at restaurants for free legal advice that you can rely on: