A wet floor can be a freshly mopped corridor, rainwater carried in at an entrance, a leak from a roof or a fridge, or a spilled drink.
This page explains when a warning sign is enough, what cleaning logs show and how your footwear is taken into account.
A wet floor injury claim is a claim for a slip on a floor made wet by cleaning, rain, a leak or a spillage, on premises controlled by someone else.
Tiles, polished stone and vinyl lose much of their grip when wet, so the occupier is expected to control the water, not just point it out. Under the Occupiers' Liability Act 1995 the occupier owes visitors a duty to take reasonable care for their safety.
Not always. Section 5(5) of the Act says a warning does not, without more, clear the occupier of liability unless it was enough to let a visitor avoid the injury by taking reasonable care.
A single cone at the far end of a long wet corridor, or a sign left out all day so that people stop noticing it, may not meet that test.
Good practice is to mop one section at a time, keep people off the wet area until it dries, and put down entrance mats on rainy days.
The workplace safety rules take the same approach: under the General Application Regulations 2007, safety signs are for risks that can't be adequately reduced in other ways, and floors must not be slippery so far as is reasonably practicable (see the Health and Safety Authority's summary).
Footwear matters because the other side will often say you contributed to the fall. If your shoes were reasonable for the place and the weather, that argument is weaker.
Write to the occupier within one month, under section 8 of the Civil Liability and Courts Act 2004, and read how the Injuries Resolution Board works.
On a wet floor the feet tend to slide forward, so people often land on their back, hip or the back of the head. Tell your GP about every area that hurts, even if one injury seems minor.
Contact us through our enquiry form, phone, or email. We’ll review your situation, answer your questions, and explain what to expect next. There’s no upfront fee to begin your claim.
Your case will be carefully reviewed by our legal team.
We assess the strength of your claim, advise on the documentation needed, and guide you through key steps such as attending an independent medical examination and preparing the information required for the Injuries Resolution Board (IRB).
Once you decide to move forward, we take care of everything. This includes gathering evidence, contacting the other party or their insurer, submitting your claim to the IRB, managing settlement discussions, and handling any court proceedings if needed.
Paul Kearney founded the practice and leads its personal injury work in Ireland. He is regulated by the Law Society of Ireland. Read Paul's profile.
We prepare your application to the Injuries Resolution Board, including the medical evidence, and advise you on any assessment before you decide whether to accept it.
You can meet us at any of our four offices, or deal with us by phone, email or video, wherever you live in Ireland.
There are no upfront fees. Before you go ahead, we set out in writing how legal costs work, as section 150 of the Legal Services Regulation Act 2015 requires. No Win No Fee explained.
The occupier, meaning whoever controls the premises. The Act allows for more than one occupier, so where an outside cleaning company mopped the floor, it may share responsibility with the business that runs the building.
Yes, in some cases. Under section 5(5) of the Occupiers' Liability Act 1995, a warning only clears the occupier if it was enough to let you avoid the injury by taking reasonable care.
Where the sign stood, how visible it was and whether the wet area could have been closed off all matter.
It is the record, on a sheet by the door or on a handheld device, of when staff checked or cleaned each area.
Gaps of several hours, entries filled in after the event, or no log at all suggest the floor was not being watched. Your solicitor asks the occupier's insurer for it early in the claim.
It can. The court considers the care you took for your own safety, and if your shoes were unsuitable for the conditions, compensation may be reduced in proportion under section 34 of the Civil Liability Act 1961.
Keep the shoes, because the other side may ask to have the soles examined.
Possibly. Nobody can stop the rain, but an occupier knows that entrances get wet on rainy days and can put down mats, check the floor more often and mop it.
Since 2023 the Act asks how likely a danger was and the cost of precautions, and wet entrances in an Irish winter are very likely.
The question is whether the occupier knew, or should have known, about the leak and what it did about it. A bucket under a dripping roof for weeks, with no repair and no barrier, is a different case from a pipe that burst minutes before you fell.
Then your employer's duties under the General Application Regulations 2007 apply, including keeping floors from being slippery so far as is reasonably practicable and keeping the workplace clean. See slips and trips at work.
Two years from the date of the slip, or from the date you knew about the injury if later, under the Statute of Limitations (Amendment) Act 1991. Write to the occupier within one month of the accident.
No. There are no upfront fees. Before you go ahead, we give you clear written terms explaining how legal costs work, as section 150 of the Legal Services Regulation Act 2015 requires. Read No Win No Fee explained.
Regulated by the Law Society of Ireland
Kearney Law handles only personal injury and clinical negligence claims.
We act for clients across Ireland, including Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick, Waterford and Letterkenny. See all the areas we cover.
Contact us to talk to a solicitor about your claim, or request a case review.
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