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How to Avoid Slip-and-Fall Accidents in Your Restaurant

• May 07, 2019
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• DustTexAdmin

Do you know how to prevent slip-and-fall accidents in your restaurant? Slip-and-fall accidents rank as the top reason restaurants get sued and it’s easy to see why.

There’s never a shortage of slip-and-fall risks in multiple areas of the business – from oils to food liquids to the combination of precariously small spaces and fast-paced work. Worse, this type of accident is far from cheap. On average, they cost $20,000 in claims while the cost of defending this in a lawsuit averages $50,000. That’s a large sum of money that even bigger brands would never want to just throw out the window.

Your restaurant should not have to be a ticking time bomb for lawsuits of this kind. We’ve got tips on how you can protect your diners, employees and your business better.

Below are some things you can do to make your restaurant safe from the risks of slip-and-fall accidents:

1. Identify high-risk areas.

While slip-and-fall accidents can happen anywhere in your restaurant, some areas are more dangerous than others. So, it’s vital to identify which areas are more critical than others. This includes your cooking stations and sinks in the kitchen, entryways, and restroom floors.

2. Train for prompt response.

Make sure to train your employees to react promptly where there are spills and other slip-and-fall risks. For instance, you can implement a floor safety protocol where employees know which items to get and what actions to take when there are oil or liquid spills, or how to isolate areas with obvious falling hazards (e.g. floor obstructions).

3. Maintain your business space.

Aside from liquids and oils, poor space maintenance ranks among the worst culprits in slip-and-fall accidents.

 – Make sure your floors are even and that tiles are secured to the floor.

 – Keep all areas of your space well-lit.

 – Replace or reinforce traction especially on stair edges.

 – Make sure your stair handles are securely attached.

4. Invest in the right gear.

Injuries for slip-and-fall accidents are some of the most commonly sustained injuries by restaurant workers. You can protect them better by investing in commercial kitchen-appropriate shoes that have been equipped for better floor traction.

5. Invest in proper and better floor cleaning.

Keeping your floors clean at all times is essential in avoiding slip-and-fall accidents in your restaurant. And key to better and more improved floor cleanliness and safety is choosing your cleaning materials and substances well. This includes investing in mops used for cleaning off spills, and a separate designated mop that will dry off the surface. It is just as important to pick cleaning chemicals that will suit your floor type to get the clean results that you need without the unnecessary slickness.

6. Invest in floor safety implements.

Aside from the right kind of mops and warning cones, it is imperative to equip your restaurant’s critical areas with the right mats. Mats are more than just your floor’s first line of defense against tracked-in moisture and dirt; they also provide an additional layer of traction and therefore protection against slip and falls. Make sure to get really high-quality floor mats so they can withstand both the heavy floor traffic as well as the high-intensity cleaning and washing needed to maintain the mats.

Slip-and-Fall Accidents: Prevention is the Key

Slip-and-fall accidents are as costly as they are dangerous. The good news is, they are completely preventable, with the right mindset, training and preparation, and tools. Invest in prevention with the help of Dust-Tex!

Dust-Tex offers the best selection of commercial floor mats and mops that will help you keep your floors clean and safe against slip-and-fall accidents. Choose from our wide selection of specialty mops and mats and find the one that suits your business needs best. Contact us at 808-842-4811 to order or speak with a floor care expert!