Waxed Floor Looks Good Until Someone Slips And Falls

September 12, 2013

Waxed floor looks good, until someone slips and falls

There is a tenet in the production of fine cuisine that states that presentation is everything. If it looks good, it will be good. The concept is meant to apply to how food appears on the plate. But retailers, including grocers, will tell you that it applies to how their stores appear, too.

That’s probably one reason why each store of so many chain grocers tend to look much the same, whether you happen to be in Pittsburgh or some other burg of Pennsylvania. Right down to the sheen on the hard linoleum floor, grocers look to create an inviting atmosphere. The problem becomes when the efforts to achieve glitz and gloss result in dangerous conditions that can result in injury-causing falls. Even employees can be at risk. 

There’s a case that highlights this working its way through the legal system. It happened in a grocery store in another state, but could easily have happened here.

At the heart of the claim is an employee who suffered serious injuries when he slipped in an area of freshly waxed floor in December 2012. He’s suing the maintenance company that did the wax job, arguing that it failed to properly mark off the floor where work had been underway.

The specific allegations are that the company didn’t maintain a safe work area, failed to train its people doing the job, and didn’t protect others or give them proper warning about the hazardous conditions.

As is his right, the employee is seeking compensation for the physical and emotional suffering he’s endured, as well as for his loss of earnings, interest and his legal expenses.

At the time this is being written, there’s no word on how the defendant intends to respond.