Restaurant owners and operators often have procedures in place to help prevent their workers from suffering injuries on the job. However, these parties also have a responsibility to ensure that you, as a patron of the establishment, do not wind up injured due to hazards on the restaurant’s premises.
While many of the steps employers take to protect their employees from falls could also apply to patrons, if they fail to address slip-and-fall hazards, injuries could easily result. In the event that you do suffer serious injuries from a fall on someone else’s property, you could have reason to pursue compensation for your injuries and other permitted damages.
Preventable hazards
Though restaurant managers and other employees have a number of duties to attend to, they should not let safety fall to the wayside. If they notice a hazard, like a spill, and do not handle it right away because they are busy with another task, they have put you and other restaurant-goers at risk for injury. Owners and operators should remain on the lookout for the following preventable dangers:
- Flooring that offers little traction
- Spills
- Plates, glasses or silverware that has fallen on the floor
- Mats that may slide due to being placed on a wet floor
- Entry mats that are curled, folded, worn or improperly placed
- Improperly waxed or polished floors
- Worn carpets or buckling flooring
- Uneven floors inside the restaurant
- Uneven sidewalks outside the restaurant
- Items blocking walkways
Employers should also make sure that their staff members know how to notice potential hazards and how to report or address them. If a staff member does not recognize a hazard or fails to address it, you could suffer in the event that the hazard causes you to fall.
Seeking compensation
While many people may not consider tripping and falling a serious event, this type of incident can easily result in serious injuries. You could strike your head, hit other objects as you fall, land on uneven ground, fall down stairs, or find yourself further harmed by other results of your fall. If you do find yourself in this type of predicament, you may want to explore premises liability claims.
Because Florida restaurant owners and operators have a responsibility to keep their property free from dangers or otherwise provide adequate warning, they could be held liable for injuries you suffered if they failed to attend to this responsibility.
