A well-known restaurant chain has been prosecuted for injuries sustained by an employee in a slip and fall accident due to an unsuitable floor surface.
Azzurri Restaurants is a well-known restaurant chain most commonly known by their High Street brand, Zizzi. The company has a near faultless record for health and safety in its restaurants, but was recently prosecuted by a city council following a slip and fall accident due to an unsuitable floor surface in the kitchen of its Belvoir Street restaurant in Leicester.
The prosecution followed an injury sustained by Cosmin Mihut – an assistant chef – who fell and broke his elbow on the ceramic floor of the kitchen. Council investigators found that the ceramic floor surface constituted a risk of injury, that the restaurant had failed to conduct a risk assessment before installing the floor, and that there had been a failure to advise employees to wear non-slip footwear.
Investigators also noted that Cosmin´s slip and fall accident due to an unsuitable floor surface had been the fifth accident of a similar nature within four months. Further health and safety breaches included the lack of proper first-aid training and the failure to advise staff of the on-duty first-aider. The council subsequently prosecuted the restaurant chain with three breaches of health and safety regulations.
At Leicester Magistrates´ Court, Azzurri Restaurants pleaded guilty to all the charges relating to the slip and fall accident due to an unsuitable floor surface. Bench chairman Nigel Sudborough commented that it was fortunate that none of the restaurant´s employees had suffered a more serious injury before fining the restaurant chain £24,000 and ordering that it may prosecution costs of £5,967.75.