Slips, trips and falls in a restaurant: a floor safety checklist, a spill procedure and a ladder check
Kitchen floors get wet, greasy and crowded every shift: ice from the bar, oil around the fryer, water from the dish pit, a case of tomatoes left in the walkway. OSHA's restaurant eTool sums up the hazard as "slipping on foods or liquids that have fallen to the floor in the food preparation area" and "drain covers that have come off" (OSHA, Young Worker Safety in Restaurants: Food Prep).
This post gives you the rules, a floor walk checklist for every shift, a spill procedure to post, a mat and drain plan, a step ladder check and wording for a footwear policy.
General information, not legal advice. OSHA rules are quoted from the eCFR, current as of October 2026; Food Code sections are from the FDA Food Code 2026. States with their own OSHA plan can have stricter rules.
The rules, in one table
Rule | What it says | Source |
|---|---|---|
Clean and orderly | "All places of employment, passageways, storerooms, service rooms, and walking-working surfaces are kept in a clean, orderly, and sanitary condition." | |
Dry floors, drainage, mats | "The floor of each workroom is maintained in a clean and, to the extent feasible, in a dry condition. When wet processes are used, drainage must be maintained and, to the extent feasible, dry standing places, such as false floors, platforms, and mats must be provided." | 1910.22(a)(2) |
No hazards on the floor | Walking-working surfaces are kept free of hazards "such as sharp or protruding objects, loose boards, corrosion, leaks, spills, snow, and ice." | 1910.22(a)(3) |
Inspect regularly | Surfaces are "inspected, regularly and as necessary, and maintained in a safe condition." | 1910.22(d)(1) |
Fix or guard it before use | A hazard is corrected before anyone uses the surface again; if it can't be fixed right away, "the hazard must be guarded to prevent employees from using the walking-working surface until the hazard is corrected or repaired." | 1910.22(d)(2) |
Caution signs | "Caution signs shall be used only to warn against potential hazards or to caution against unsafe practices." OSHA's eTool points to this rule for wet-floor signs. | |
Ladders checked every shift | "Ladders are inspected before initial use in each work shift, and more frequently as necessary", and a defective ladder is tagged "Dangerous: Do Not Use" and taken out of service. | |
No ladders under 16 | For 14- and 15-year-olds, "all work requiring the use of ladders, scaffolds, or their substitutes" is prohibited. | |
Mats are cleanable | "Mats and duckboards shall be designed to be removable and EASILY CLEANABLE." | Food Code §6-201.15 |
No sawdust on the floor | Sawdust, granular salt, diatomaceous earth and similar materials may not be used on floors, except a small amount on a liquid spill "applied immediately before spot cleaning." | Food Code §§6-501.17, 6-501.13(B) |
Mops | Mops are air-dried after use without soiling walls, equipment or supplies, and mop water never goes down a hand sink, a food prep sink or the dish sinks. | Food Code §§6-501.16, 6-501.15 |
The floor walk checklist
One walk at open, one before the rush, one at close. It takes three minutes.
[Café / restaurant name] — Floor walk · [open / mid-shift / close]
Date: [date] · Done by: ………………………… Time: ……………
Area | Check | OK | Fixed / reported |
|---|---|---|---|
Kitchen line | Floor dry, no grease film in front of the fryer and grill | ☐ | |
Kitchen line | Mats flat, edges not curled, no holes | ☐ | |
Dish pit | Mats in place; drain clear; no standing water | ☐ | |
Walk-in and freezer | Floor clear of boxes and ice; door gasket not leaking water onto the floor | ☐ | |
Floor drains | Every drain cover in place and flush | ☐ | |
Walkways and back door | Nothing stored in the path; no cords across the walkway | ☐ | |
Bar and drink station | Ice and drips cleaned; mats in place | ☐ | |
Dining room | No spills; rugs flat; chairs and high chairs out of the path | ☐ | |
Entrance | Entrance mat flat; rain or snow wiped up | ☐ | |
Stairs and steps | Treads intact, handrail solid, lights working | ☐ | |
Lighting | No dark spots in walkways, storage or the back hall | ☐ | |
Wet floor signs | At least [number] at [locations], in good shape | ☐ | |
Step ladder | Checked before first use this shift (see the ladder check) | ☐ |
Anything not fixed now: guarded off with a sign or cone, written up for: ………………………………
The spill procedure
Post this by the mop sink and the line.
[Café / restaurant name] — Spill procedure
- Stop and call it. Whoever sees it owns it until it's handled. Say "spill" loudly enough for the people around you.
- Sign it. Put a wet floor sign or cone on it before you go for the mop. If it's big, stand by it and send someone else.
- Clean it. Liquids: mop or wipe up with [absorbent pads / the spill mop]. Grease or oil: [degreaser product] per its label, then rinse. Food: pick it up first, then clean. Broken glass: follow the broken glass procedure.
- Dry it. Dry the spot, not just the middle. Leave the sign until the floor is dry.
- Check it. Look for where it came from (a leaking ice bin, a drain backing up, a cooler dripping) and tell the person in charge.
Never: cover a spill with cardboard, leave it "for the closer," or use a dirty mop that spreads grease.
The cleaning products go back to their storage area afterwards, and mop water goes down the mop sink or service sink, not a hand sink or prep sink (Food Code §6-501.15).
Mats, drains and the places that are always wet
OSHA's rule expects "dry standing places, such as false floors, platforms, and mats" where work is wet. The eTool also suggests non-slip mats, adequate drainage, repairing uneven floors and replacing loose drain covers.
Spot | Typical problem | Plan |
|---|---|---|
Dish pit | Standing water from the sprayer and machine | [Anti-fatigue drainage mats; drain checked daily] |
Fryer and grill | Grease film | [Degrease the floor at close; mat changed weekly] |
Ice machine and bar | Melted ice | [Mat under the bin; drip tray emptied] |
Walk-in | Ice and condensation | [Door gasket checked; floor wiped at open] |
Back door and entrance | Rain and snow | [Entrance mat; wet floor sign on wet days] |
Mat care: lift and clean mats at close, and let them dry; replace any that curl or crack, because a curled edge is a trip hazard. Food Code §6-201.15 requires mats you can remove and clean.
The step ladder check
Most kitchens have one step ladder for the top shelf of dry storage. 1910.23 asks for it to be inspected before first use in each shift.
Step ladder check · Ladder: [ID / location]
Check | OK |
|---|---|
Steps and rails not cracked, bent or loose | ☐ |
Steps not slippery: no grease or water on them | ☐ |
Spreader or lock holds the ladder fully open | ☐ |
Feet and their non-slip pads in place | ☐ |
Labels readable | ☐ |
If anything fails: tag it "Dangerous: Do Not Use" and take it out of service until it's repaired or replaced.
Using it: face the ladder going up and down, keep one hand on it, don't carry a load that throws you off balance, and don't stand on the top cap or top step (1910.23(b)(11)–(13), (c)(8)). Nobody aged 14 or 15 uses a ladder at all (570.33(g)).
Footwear policy wording
OSHA's eTool tells workers to "Wear appropriate waterproof non-slip footwear" and suggests employers "promote a shoe policy program that provides for appropriate work shoes for employees." Some wording for your handbook:
Shoes. Kitchen and dish staff wear closed-toe, slip-resistant shoes with [a rubber sole / a sole labeled slip-resistant] on every shift. [We provide / We reimburse up to [amount] for / You provide] these shoes. Bring them to your first shift; if you don't have them, talk to your manager before the shift starts.
Who pays depends on what you require. OSHA's PPE payment rule doesn't require employers to pay for "street shoes, and normal work boots" (1910.132(h)(4)(ii)); read it with your own policy in mind, and put the answer in your handbook.
After a fall
- Help first. First aid from your first aid kit, or call 911 when it's more than the kit can handle.
- Write it down the same day on your incident report form, with where, what was on the floor, the shoes and the lighting.
- Fix the cause before the next shift. That's what 1910.22(d)(2) asks for: repair it, or guard it off until it's repaired.
- Workers' compensation. Report an employee's injury to your workers' compensation carrier; in Florida, our workers' compensation post covers the steps and deadlines.
Your floor safety checklist
- [ ] Floor walk at open, mid-shift and close, signed
- [ ] Spill procedure posted by the mop sink and the line
- [ ] Enough wet floor signs, where people can reach them
- [ ] Mats in every wet spot, cleaned at close, replaced when curled
- [ ] Drain covers in place and flush
- [ ] Step ladder checked every shift; no ladders for 14- and 15-year-olds
- [ ] Footwear policy in the handbook, told to every new hire
- [ ] Falls written up and the cause fixed before the next shift
Where Mays fits
- The floor walk as a checklist. Build the floor walk as a template under Tasks → Templates with a Checkbox per area and a Photo task for the line floor at close, on a Daily frequency with a visibility window per walk if you want separate open and close walks (one template each). See Creating a checklist template.
- Or as a form. A Floor walk form under Tasks → Types, with a Yes / No per area and a Text field for what was fixed, lands in Tasks → Data with Export CSV. See Building custom forms.
- Repairs that need doing. A loose drain cover or a cracked floor tile goes in the Logbook under Maintenance, with Needs follow-up ticked; falls go under Incidents. The location's other managers and admins get a notification. See The manager logbook.
- No ladders for 14- and 15-year-olds. With Minors (under 18) on, tick Ladders or scaffolds on positions that use them (such as a stock or prep position), and anyone under 16 scheduled there gets a Minor rule warning. See Scheduling minors and Positions and wages.
- The procedure on every phone. Put the spill procedure and the footwear policy in the Knowledge Base. See Your knowledge base.
What Mays doesn't do: Logbook follow-ups can't be marked done yet (reply on the entry when it's fixed), and the Logbook is text only, so photos of a hazard go on a one-off Photo task instead.
Dry floors are a habit
Walk the floor every shift, sign every spill before you clean it, keep mats and drains in shape, and check the ladder before you climb it. Most falls start with something someone saw and walked past.
Start your free trial: 30 days, every module, no card needed. Or book a walkthrough and we'll build your floor walk checklist with you.