Supermarket fined after ignoring advice about fitting a particular type of floor tiles

A major supermarket was fined after ignoring advice about fitting a particular type of floor tiles in food preparation areas of one of its new stores - despite them being a known slip hazard in other outlets.

Workers reported being more prone to slip on the tiles when food or drink was spilled on them. The local council advised the supermarket to use alternatives during the planning phase, but the advice was ignored - making the retailer guilty of failing to ensure that the surfaces were fit for purpose.

This case illustrates that the type of floor surface is a key control measure in reducing the number of slips in the workplace. It shows the importance of employers taking seriously their duties under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007 and Workplace Regulations, designing out known health and safety risks at a early stage of any planned new build or refurbishment. The supermarket has now corrected the situation and all their new builds now have appropriate flooring installed.

Link URLs in this page

  1. Slips and tripshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/SLIPS/index.htm
  2. The lawhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/SLIPS/law.htm
  3. Frequently asked questions https://www.hse.gov.uk/SLIPS/faq.htm
  4. Overview - Are you a?https://www.hse.gov.uk/SLIPS/are-you.htm
  5. Employerhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/SLIPS/employers.htm
  6. Employeehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/SLIPS/workers.htm
  7. Architect or designerhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/SLIPS/architects.htm
  8. Overview - Causes and preventionhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/SLIPS/preventing.htm
  9. Overview - Contaminationhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/SLIPS/cleancampaign.htm
  10. Cleaninghttps://www.hse.gov.uk/SLIPS/cleaning.htm
  11. Flooringhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/SLIPS/flooring.htm
  12. Overview - Footwearhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/SLIPS/footprocure.htm
  13. Supplying slip-resistant footwearhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/SLIPS/manufactfoot.htm
  14. Environmenthttps://www.hse.gov.uk/SLIPS/environment.htm
  15. People (human factors)https://www.hse.gov.uk/SLIPS/human-factors.htm
  16. Overview - Resourceshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/SLIPS/information.htm
  17. Publicationshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/SLIPS/publications.htm
  18. Overview - Toolshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/SLIPS/tools.htm
  19. STEP eLearning packagehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/SLIPS/step/index.htm
  20. Overview - Slips Assessment Tool (SAT)https://www.hse.gov.uk/SLIPS/sat/index.htm
  21. Using SAThttps://www.hse.gov.uk/SLIPS/sat/default.htm
  22. Research reportshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/SLIPS/research.htm
  23. Case studieshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/SLIPS/casestudies.htm
  24. Campaignshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/SLIPS/campaigns.htm
  25. Useful linkshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/SLIPS/links.htm
  26. Audio and videohttps://www.hse.gov.uk/SLIPS/audiovideo.htm
  27. Subscribehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/SLIPS/ebulletin/index.htm
  28. Slips and trips: Hazard spotting checklisthttps://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/ck4.pdf
  29. Assessing the slip resistance of flooringhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/geis2.pdf
  30. Preventing slips and trips at work - INDG 225 (rev1)https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg225.pdf
  31. Slips and trips mapping toolhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/SLIPS/assets/docs/mappingtool.pdf
  32. HSE Bookshttps://books.hse.gov.uk//

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11.03.09