No one wants anyone to slip, fall, or hurt themselves. However, is it a legal requirement to identify these hazards, or a common courtesy? We reveal all in this blog about wet floor policy and procedure.
What Are The Wet Floor Sign Laws in the UK?
Within the UK, every employer has a duty of care to its employees, customers, or business premises visitors. Signposting and dealing with hazards promptly is part of this.
Under the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957, business or property owners are responsible for warning signs such as a wet floor sign.
They are also responsible for ‘foreseeable hazards’. For example, if there is a leak. There may not be a puddle or slipping hazard yet, but it could quickly escalate to become one. Other foreseeable hazards include fraying wires, loose handrails, cracks in flooring, etc.
When Are You Liable for Wet Floor Hazards?
There is no question of ‘when’ there is responsibility. Rather, these safety measures should be implemented as standard when the following occasions occur:
- During or after cleaning
- When there has been a spillage
- When there is a leak
- When water is tracked in from wet weather outside
What Wet Floor Hazard and Control Signs Do You Need?
So, you now know you could be responsible for safety signage, but what types are there and how many do you need?
You can’t go wrong with a-board warning signs. These are free-standing, lightweight and portable, making them the perfect solution for temporary use. Plus, they’re bright yellow and double-sided for maximum visibility!
You may also choose to invest in slippery surface or risk of slipping signs and labels. These are commonly used by premises in entryways where bad weather could cause a hazard.
Under wet floor sign regulations, you must have enough signs to provide warning in all directions a person can approach the hazard. For example, in a corridor, you will require two signs.
However, there could be more than one water hazard at a time, so we would always recommend purchasing spares.
Can You Sue If There Is A Wet Floor Sign?
If a person has an accident and there is no warning signage, they could open a premises liability lawsuit against the property owner. This holds the owner responsible for any damages that occurred as a result of the accident at their building and accuses them of not fulfilling their duty of care to warn or prevent hazards.
If there is a wet floor sign, and they still slip, things get a little muddy. It will become trickier to claim compensation, but not impossible. Every case is unique, after all.
They could still have a case if the wet floor sign was not clearly visible, such as around a corner or fallen over.
Therefore, it is extremely important to not only invest in safety signage, but to ensure proper placement too.
Stay Safe With Label Source
We’ve been a dedicated supplier of quality, cost-effective labels, signs, and tapes since 1994. Our goal is to make the world a safer place, one sign at a time.
You can discover our full range of warning signs for slips, trips and falls here on our site, and please get in touch if you’d like a bespoke product made or to learn more about wet floor safety.
