Slips, trips, and falls are a major issue for retail businesses, and there are severe penalties for shops that do not take the time to address the risks.
In this post we will explore some of the possible underlying causes of slips, trips, and falls in the retail environment. We will also outline how you can address these risks in your store.
What Causes Slips, Trips, and Falls in Shops?
There are a number of different causes for slips, trips and falls in shops, including:
- Clutter – Any stock or equipment left in walkways can create a trip hazard for both staff and customers.
- Liquids – A spilled liquid creates a slipping hazard. But customers may also slip on a freshly cleaned surface, particularly if there are no warning signs about, or if staff used too much cleaning product.
- Mats, Rugs, and Tiles – People may trip over a rumpled mat or rug, or a loose tile on the floor.
- Environmental factors – People may fail to spot slip or trip hazards if the lighting is poor. Or they may lose their footing if they do not see a step or a ramp.
How To Prevent Slips, Trips, and Falls in Your Shop
To help reduce and prevent slips, trips and falls in your shop, you should consider:
- Staff Training – Train your staff to spot the risks that could contribute to slips, trips, and falls, and make sure that everyone knows what to do to address these risks. Also make a point of recording and reporting any incidents that occur, specifying exactly what went wrong, and outlining the steps you will take to prevent further incidents.
- Stay On Top of Cleaning – Establish a cleaning rota and aim to clean up any spillages as soon as possible. It is also important to use the right cleaning products, and in the right quantity. Use the wrong product and you may not effectively remove a spillage. And use too much of a product and you could make the slipping hazard even worse.
- Make Customers Aware of the Risks – After cleaning, place signs warning customers of slippery surfaces. If there are any steps or ramps on the shop floor, make sure they are clearly indicated, with signage if necessary.
- Stay On Top of Maintenance – Replace faulty lighting, damaged floor tiles, and any other faults that could lead to accidents as soon as possible.
- Reduce Clutter – Never leave stock or cleaning equipment unattended in walkways. This goes for your storeroom as well as your shop floor. Your staff are just as liable to get injured by a slip, trip, or fall as your customers.
Risk Management and Insurance
Addressing the common causes of slips, trips, and falls should form a part of your wider risk management strategy. Read our full guide to risk management for retail businesses.
As we mentioned above, there are severe penalties for any store that does not take the time to mitigate slipping and tripping hazards. The Health and Safety Executive has numerous case studies of slips and trips that ultimately cost retail stores dearly.
Specialist retail insurance can help cover any legal costs or settlements that may arise as a result of an incident in your shop. You have a legal duty to get employers liability insurance to cover the risks for your staff, while public liability insurance can cover any incidents that affect customers, contractors, delivery drivers, and other members of the public.
There are strong links between risk management and insurance. Your insurer may require you to implement certain risk management processes as a condition of your cover. But at the same time, if you can evidence your risk management efforts, you may be able to make a saving on the cost of cover.
Get The Right Cover For Your Retail Store
A specialist retail insurance policy can help provide cover for losses you may experience as a result of slips, trips, falls, and other incidents, subject to policy terms, conditions and exclusions.
James Hallam is an independent Lloyd’s broker with an experienced team of insurance professionals who care about protecting your store. We can help you access the cover you need for your business, and we can also show you how to evidence your risk management in order to make potential savings on your premiums.
Find out how we can help your shop today.