Go to any fast food takeaway in the UK and, while you are waiting for your meal, have a look at the restaurant. If it is a large branded business the restaurant will look exactly the same as any other outlet throughout the land.
If you go to a small, sole premises outlet you will also notice (in the vast majority of cases) that they share, with the large brands, pride in their outlet. The tables will be clean and the shop front will be spotless.
Don’t believe what you see on these “city grime” programmes on the TV either, most fast food places are exceptionally clean in the preparation area as well.
However, it does not matter how much time you spend on cleaning the cooking area, there will always be some kind of liquid that will be spilled, or on, the floor. In the fast food restaurants, the moisture from the food that is fried and the fat permeates the air. Although most of this is exhausted through the extraction units, some of it will end up on the floors.
Just look at the serving staff behind the counter on a busy day as they slide and skate around. You cannot eliminate this moisture entirely and this means that accidents will occur.
Employers liability insurance protects anyone that works for a business from injury, illness (including mental) or disease that they may suffer at work.
Most food preparation businesses suffer from EL claims. The problem is, that a claim is almost guaranteed to be 5, sometimes 6, figures. There are solicitors out there who slaver over getting these types of claims. It is a no-brainer for them. EL is, quite rightly, not subject to many clauses. If an employee is injured (even if they are partially responsible) they have an odds-on chance of winning a settlement.
Slips, trips and falls can cause immense injury to someone. Slipped discs, sore backs and other problems can prevent some people from working for years.
Although we have seen the UK enter, and stay in, the worst recession in living memory, the average cost of EL claims continues to rise. This has a severe affect on the premiums that we get when looking for a commercial insurance quote. Insurers are trying to recoup their losses and are looking to increased premiums to help them on their way. We will have to see the scale of this issue as 2010 progresses, but the hardening (increased premiums) market may not be far away.