Having represented many, many clients injured in mishaps at the supermarket, we have learned first-hand the hazards we confront with every visit to the store.
According to the Food Marketing Institute, American consumers make, on average, 1.6 trips to supermarkets per week. Shopping at our local supermarket is, for most of us, an unavoidable experience. Unfortunately for some, modern supermarkets – with their sprawling layouts and plethora of stocked goods of all shapes and sizes – pose many risks and hazards that can cause serious injuries to shoppers. Here are some of the hidden (and, in some cases, not so hidden) supermarket hazards:
1. Loose produce: With hundreds of produce items constantly being prodded and shuffled around by judicious shoppers, a wayward grape or errant leaf of lettuce is bound to fall to the floor of the produce section now and again. Employees at well-maintained supermarkets will be quick to sweep up such hazards, but not all supermarkets are well-maintained. Stray produce can create a slipping hazard, and may be difficult to observe for the shopper whose eyes are focused on finding perfect piece of produce.
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2. Water or other, more sinister, spills: The meat and seafood sections of any grocery store are filled with ice chests, freezers, refrigeration units, and tanks of water (e.g. filled with live lobsters) that can leak, spill or topple over, causing water or other liquids to accumulate on the floor. Worse, containers of food can rip or break open, spilling their contents onto the floor. We once had a client who slipped and fell on chicken blood!
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3. Outdoor elements, mopped or unmopped: The floors of most supermarkets are made of shiny linoleum – a surface that is easy to clean but can become slippery when wet or dirty and is especially slippery immediately after being mopped. Shoppers can drag in dirt, mud and water from the outdoors, which diligent supermarkets will warn shoppers about or clean up. However, after being mopped up, an area can sometimes become even more of a supermarket hazard if employees fail to put a “wet floor” sign in the area.
4. Falling products: Modern supermarkets contain a large variety and huge number of goods – according to the Food Marketing Institute, on average, American supermarkets carry 43,844 items. While supermarkets have expanded their selection, they have also expanded in size (see Figure 1 below). Along with this horizontal expansion has been a parallel vertical expansion. Big box stores, especially, store items at potentially dangerous heights.
Figure 1. Supermarkets have grown in size since the 1990s. (Data Source: Food Marketing Institute)
5. Big stores = big parking lots: As supermarkets have grown, the parking lots servicing supermarkets have proportionately grown. Parking lots, especially during a winter like the one we recently had in New York, can become very icy and dangerous to traverse. Big lots can be difficult for store employees and snow removal contractors to clear completely or cover with sand or salt, leading to patches of ice and snow.
What can you do? Watch out for these hazards. You may also want to reward those supermarkets that look out for customer safety by keeping the floors clean and dry and equipment well-maintained. The stores can prevent many of the accidents that injure their customers.
We hope you found this information helpful. If you or a loved one has been hurt due to a supermarket hazard or if you have been injured due to another’s negligence, you may want to consult a New York personal injury attorney experienced with supermarket hazard cases. We would be glad to answer your questions and assist you. The consultation is always free.
The Schlitt Law Firm
New York Personal Injury Attorney
1-800-660-1466
Contact@SchlittLaw.com
