Property owners, landlords and councils have a responsibility to ensure that their premises are safe. This means they have to ensure paving isn’t loose, spills are cleaned up and adequate lighting is in place as well as using reasonable care to keep their property safe. Sadly responsible parties don’t always take the responsibility that they should.

Pretty much all of us have slipped or tripped while we have been out at the shops, in work or walking on the pavement etc. In some cases these slip or trip accidents are caused by not looking where you are going but if you have been injured in a slip/trip accident through the fault of someone else’s negligence then you could have a chance to make a claim for compensation.

It is the duty of property owners to make sure that their building is free from obstructions or spillages that could lead to you having a slip, trip or fall accident. Due to this the floor in a workplace must be suitable for the type of work activity that will be taking place on it. Where a floor can’t be kept dry people should be able to walk on it without the fear of a slip; so how can this happen? Simple you need to ensure that the flooring that is present in your property has a certain degree of roughness to it, this is important as it will provide a grip so that even if the floor is wet you will still have an aspect of safety to protect you.

The flooring in a public building should also be cleaned correctly to ensure that it does not become slippery and that it keeps its slip resistance properties. Your flooring should also be fitted correctly and any potential hazards should be removed.

It doesn’t matter how old or new your flooring is, whatever its age all flooring should be maintained so that it is keep in a good condition. Maintenance of flooring includes making sure that any trip hazards, such as holes, uneven surfaces and curled up carpet edges are taken care of. If you do have uneven flooring that can’t be avoided, such as ramps and raised platforms then these should be clearly highlighted and signposted.

Floors are just one aspect that can cause you to have a slip, trip or fall accident. Another common cause of slip, trips and falls are uneven pavements. If a pavement slab comes loose and is sticking up, causing the possibility of tripping then it is up to the local council to make sure that this paving slab is fixed in a timely manner before any injury is caused.

One last cause of slip, trip and fall accidents are stair cases. Stair cases, both internal and external ones should have high visibility and non-slip square nosing on the step edges. They should also be provided with a suitable handrail and the steps should be correctly proportioned, meaning they are equal in height and width.

If you have suffered a slip, trip or fall accident in the last three years due to the negligence of another person then you could be entitled to make a claim for compensation. For more information about claiming or to get your claim started contact a legal team today.