Supermarket Customer is Injured by Fall on Wet Floor

Case Overview

This case involves a slip and fall incident at a supermarket resulting in serious injury. The plaintiff was in the supermarket when another shopper dropped a large case of drinks in glass bottles, which immediately shattered. A nearby store employee asked that the plaintiff watch over the spill on the floor while he went to get cleaning supplies. When he came back, the employee found the plaintiff lying on the ground. The plaintiff sustained several injuries that will require a number of surgeries to repair. The plaintiff alleges there were no guidelines or protocols in place to ensure the safety of the patrons of the supermarket in the event of a dangerous spill.

Questions to the Business expert and their responses

Please discuss your experience with safety protocols in a supermarket.

In my management experience of supermarkets, I designed safety protocols as well as wrote safety manuals that spanned the whole supermarket environment including the parking lot.

Based on the description of the summary, what are some of the guidelines to prevent such an accident from occurring?

In this case, the employee should not have left the scene and should have contacted another employee to retrieve the cleaning supplies.

About the expert

This highly qualified expert has over 35 years of experience in the retail supermarket industry. His previous positions have included various managerial roles such as store manager and regional manager. He then served as President and CEO of 4 supermarket chains. He is currently an Independent Consultant providing consulting services including business practices, safety practices, strategic planning, and cost controls for the retail supermarket industry.