You may be entitled to make a mopping accident claim if you were injured after slipping on a wet floor that was being cleaned improperly or was not clearly signposted. Businesses, employers, and property occupiers have a legal duty to take reasonable steps to keep visitors and staff safe while cleaning is carried out. If a floor was left excessively wet, warning signs were missing or poorly positioned, or safe cleaning procedures were not followed, compensation may be available. A successful claim can help recover damages for pain and suffering, lost earnings, medical expenses, rehabilitation costs, and other financial losses linked to the accident.
Mopping accidents are often dismissed as simple slips or unfortunate mishaps, but the injuries they cause can be anything but minor. A wet floor in a supermarket, office, restaurant, hospital, or public building can become dangerous within moments, particularly where proper warnings are missing or cleaning is carried out carelessly.
Most people do not expect routine cleaning to put them at risk of injury. When businesses or employers decide to clean a public area, they still have a responsibility to keep that environment reasonably safe. That includes using visible warning signs, managing access to hazardous areas, and ensuring floors are not left dangerously slippery.
We regularly hear from people who suffered painful injuries after walking through areas that had been mopped without adequate warnings or safety measures. In some cases, the consequences involve fractures, back injuries, head injuries, or ongoing mobility problems that affect work and day-to-day life long after the fall itself.
This guide explains when a mopping accident may lead to a compensation claim, who could be responsible, and what evidence may help support your case.
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Mopping Accidents At Work
Many of our clients ask us, “I fell at work; what should I do?” When you are at work, your employer has a duty of care to keep you safe whilst you work. Where risks exist, steps ought to be taken to reduce them to the lowest level possible.
If you are injured because of negligence on the part of your employer, they could be held liable for your injuries. If work were injured because of a mopping accident at work while pregnant that was not your fault, which injured you or your unborn child, you could also be entitled to claim. Even though the accident may appear to be the fault of one of your colleagues, if they were not properly trained by your employer, they could still be held accountable for your injuries.
Mopping accidents do not just involve wet floors. They could, for instance, involve a mop handle. Mop handles can be made of plastic as well as wood. Both materials are liable to break, exposing sharp edges and potentially causing cuts and lacerations. In such circumstances, an employer could be held liable if they had not made the required safety inspections of work equipment, or failed to replace equipment that had been reported as faulty.
Legal Expert can provide you with an excellent No Win No Fee solicitor who can handle mopping accident claims. Call us today for your free slip, trip and fall injury consultation, to see if you can claim.
Restaurant Mopping Accidents
Restaurants can be busy places, where staff often have to rush to complete tasks. Sometimes, they do not have the capacity to clean spillages right away, or in some venues, dim and atmospheric lighting may prevent customers from seeing potential hazards on the floor.
Where possible, staff should avoid mopping the floor during opening times when guests are being served. If it is unavoidable, for example, and there is a large spillage that could endanger guests or staff, the restaurant staff should ensure that correct health and safety measures are taken, such as signposting the area, or roping it off, and cleaning it up so far as possible.
If, for instance, you fell on a restaurant on a wet floor hazard that had not been properly signposted, if it could be shown that the restaurant did not take the correct steps to either clean up the hazard or train staff appropriately, you could be entitled to make mopping accident claims.
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Mopping Accidents In Shops And Supermarkets
Unsafe mopping practices can also cause accidents in shops and supermarkets. It is common for items in a supermarket to be spilt or dropped, for example, if a customer accidentally knocks a jar of pickles off a shelf, or drops an egg. This creates slipping hazards. If the supermarket staff do not mop it up or signpost the resulting wet floor, this could lead to slipping accidents in which customers or members of staff are injured.
As we have mentioned, if the mopping is not carried out in a way that minimises risk, or the resulting wet floor is not signposted, a slip, trip or fall accident can occur and you could have grounds to make mopping accident claims.
How Long Do I Have To Make A Mopping Accident Claim?
Under the Limitation Act 1980, the standard time limit for starting a mopping accident claim is three years from the date of your accident. However, this time limit can work differently for claims when they involve minors or people who lack the mental capacity to represent themselves.
If a child has been injured in a mopping accident, a litigation friend can be appointed to act as their representative and start a claim on their behalf while they are still under the age of 18. Once the injured party turns 18, the 3 year time limit will begin for them if a claim hasn’t already been made.
A similar exception for the time limit will apply for people who are found to lack the mental capacity to start their own case. The time limit will be frozen indefinitely, and a litigation friend may be able to start a claim on the injured party’s behalf. However, if the injured party regains their mental capacity and a claim hasn’t already been made, then they will have three years from the day of recovery to start their own claim.
You can contact our advisors today for more information about the time limit for claiming or if you have any other questions about the eligibility criteria for a mopping accident claim.
How Much Compensation For A Mopping Accident?
Since compensation is valued on a case-by-case basis, we can’t offer any guarantees for what you could receive. However, we can give some insight into how compensation amounts are calculated and how many legal professionals evaluate claims for injuries caused by mopping the floor.
As we mentioned above, general damages compensate you for the pain and suffering caused by the injuries you sustained as a result of your slip or trip after someone mopped the floor. When legal professionals value this head of claim, they often refer to the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). This document provides guideline settlement awards for different types of injuries. Below, you can find some examples of these guidelines taken from the 16th edition of the JCG.
Please only use this table as a guide.
| Type Of Injury | Severity | Potential Compensation |
| Multiple Serious Injuries Plus Special Damages | Serious | Up to £1,000,000+ |
| Head Injury | Very Severe | £344,150 to £493,000 |
| Back Injury | Severe (i) | £111,150 to £196,450 |
| Hand Injury | Serious | £35,390 to £75,550 |
| Less Serious | £17,640 to £35,390 |
| Moderate | £6,910 to £16,200 |
| Severe Leg Injury | Serious | £47,840 to £66,920 |
| Wrist Injury | (b) Resulting in permanent disability | £29,900 to £47,810 |
| Neck Injury | Moderate (i) |
£30,500 to £46,970 |
| Shoulder Injury | Serious | £15,580 to £23,430 |
Special Damages
As part of mopping accident claims, special damages may also be awarded to reimburse the injured person for any expenses or financial losses they have incurred as a result of their injuries. Some examples of the types of special damages you may be able to claim for a wet floor accident include:
- Medical expenses such as the cost of any medication, physiotherapy, operations or any other medical treatment you may have needed because of your injuries.
- Travel expenses, which can include the cost of taking taxis to the hospital or the cost of travelling to and from doctors appointments.
- Mobility equipment or home adaptation expenses, which you may need if your injuries cause you to become disabled.
- At home care expenses, such as the need to pay for a carer to help you with cooking and cleaning. It’s also possible to claim an hourly wage for a family member who may have assisted you.
- If you had to take time off work following your injuries and missed out on pay or bonuses, it’s also possible to recover this loss of earnings costs too.
For more information on claiming for injuries caused by someone else mopping the floor and failing to appropriately signpost a wet floor, contact our team of advisors today.
No Win No Fee Mopping Accident Claims
If you have legitimate grounds to make mopping accident claims, we can give you the option of pursuing a claim under a No Win No Fee agreement, also known as a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). A CFA gives claimants financial security and the confidence to pursue justice. You will not have to pay an upfront solicitors fee when you make your compensation claim, nor will you have to pay any fees while the claim is ongoing.
And if your case is unsuccessful, you will not have to pay any of your solicitor fees incurred in pursuing your claim.
If your claim does succeed, you will pay your solicitor a small contribution toward their costs. This contribution is known as a success fee and forms a percentage of your compensation. Don’t worry, success fees are legally capped and will be set out in clear terms within the CFA. Therefore, for many of our clients making a No Win, No Fee claim is the least stressful option.
To learn more about how making a No Win, No Fee claim for slipping on a wet floor can benefit you, call Legal Expert today to talk about your options. If you have legitimate grounds to claim compensation, we can provide you with an excellent No Win, No Fee solicitor to handle your claim.
How To Contact Us And Start A Claim
If you’d like a free consultation about making mopping accident claims, please call us today on 0800 073 8804 or use our enquiry form. You can also use the live chat on screen.
One of our knowledgeable advisors will speak to you in detail about your ordeal and if you are entitled to claim compensation, we will provide you with an excellent personal injury lawyer to work on your case. So call Legal Expert now to begin your claim. We’re looking forward to hearing from you!
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