What’s the cost of a slip and fall?

How safety flooring protects your people and your profits

Slips and falls are business risks hiding in plain sight. Slips and falls are the skeleton in everyone’s closet that no one wants to talk about until it’s far too late. But, ignoring it doesn’t make the risk disappear; it just makes the fallout worse when it happens.

In environments restaurants and retail spaces, one wrong step can lead to serious injuries, lawsuits, bad reviews, and potential lost revenue. For business owners, the question isn’t if a fall could happen; it’s when.

And when it does, it hits more than the floor. It hits your reputation, your compliance status, and ultimately your bottom line.

The real price tag of slips + trips

According to Liberty Mutual’s 2024 Workplace Safety Index, slips, trips and falls account for 30% of all reported injuries in North America, making them the #1 cause of workplace accidents in restaurants, hotels, and public spaces with the average cost of a slip and fall ranging between $30,000 to $40,000.

Your flooring is the first line of defense. Specifying the right flooring isn’t just a design decision, but rather it is a strategic move in your risk management plan. Slip-resistant safety flooring acts as your facility’s invisible safety net, reducing hazards and shielding your business from costly liabilities.

Products like Altro Stronghold 30 go beyond surface-level safety. With a slip resistance rating of ≥ R12, it surpasses industry standards, giving both employees and customers solid footing in the most demanding environments.

Staying on the right side of compliance

Compliance is not optional. Agencies like OSHA and the ADA require safe, accessible flooring in public and workspaces. OSHA mandates that floors be kept “clean and dry as far as possible,” and the ADA requires adequate slip resistance to ensure accessibility for all guests.

Non-compliance can result in fines, shutdowns, or worse, a damaged reputation you may not recover from. With Altro safety flooring, you can confidently tick all the right boxes and avoid expensive consequences.

Safety that works where you work

Whether it is the back-of-house or the front-of-house, each zone of a food service facility is a unique ecosystem and each zone requires different needs.

Back-of-house:

• Flooring must be able to withstand spills, heat, and grease.
• Nonporous, seamless surfaces help stop bacteria from spreading and keep traction high.
• It must be durable enough to endure heavy equipment, carts, and constant foot traffic.

Front-of-house:

• Flooring must be durable, easy to clean, and have long-term performance.
• It must prevent slips while maintaining a polished, inviting appearance.
• Dining areas should balance aesthetics and performance.

Long-term performance starts with maintenance

The best flooring won’t perform without proper care. Routine cleaning with the right agents, staff training on hazard identification, and regular slip-resistance testing (like pendulum or DCOF testing) are essential to preserve traction and hygiene.

However, seamless flooring with flash coving and watertight transitions makes it easier to clean, reducing the risk of buildup and contamination over time.

What’s at stake?

Every fall avoided is money saved and more importantly, trust earned. Safety-conscious environments lead to smoother operations, higher morale, and stronger customer confidence.

Installing purpose-built solutions like Altro safety flooring is more than a precaution. It’s a promise to protect your people and your profit.