There are roughly 8 million slip and fall incidents per year in the US, meaning that 2% of all Americans will be involved in a fall each year. Of those falls, over 3 million require immediate medical attention. To understand why there are so many of these incidents, we need to look at the most common place for a slip and fall.
Restaurants
According to the National Floor Safety Insitute (NFSI) restaurants account for half of the country’s slip and falls. Slip and falls in a commercial kitchen are the top cause of workplace injuries, outpacing cuts and burns combined.
Both customers and restaurant employees are at a very high risk of a fall, but that’s not surprising when you think about it. Restaurants need constant cleaning. Wet tile is slippery. Likewise, popping grease in the kitchen or a malfunctioning ice machine can create additional hazards on the floor that need to be cleaned up immediately.
Preventing Falls
Restaurant workers can be proactive in addressing potential hazards. Regular mopping, use of wet floor signs, and picking up hazards like electrical cords are just a few ways employees can keep customers safe. The same goes for the kitchen. Slip and falls near the deep fryer and stove are very common, emphasizing the importance of keeping a clean workspace.
As a customer, the best way you can prevent slip and falls in a restaurant is to report hazards to the staff. Letting the staff know is not only responsible, it creates a record demonstrating that the business was aware of the hazard in case of an injury. If someone did slip and fall, they could argue that the restaurant knew about the danger, but did nothing to prevent injuries.
If you or someone you love suffered serious injuries due to a slip and fall, we are here for you. If you’d like to schedule a free case consultation with an experienced Newport Beach accident attorney from Manning Law, APC to evaluate your case, please send us an email or call (800) 783-5006.