California’s Wet Floor Sign Law

Nobody should have to worry about slipping and falling due to a wet floor when they step onto commercial property in California. If you slip and fall on someone else’s property, you need to know whether you can recover compensation. Here, we want to examine the rules related to wet signs, as well as who can be held liable for any injuries that occur as a result of a slip and fall incident.

The Law in California Does Not Cover Wet Floor Signs

In the state of California, there is no law on the books related to whether or not property owners have to put down “wet floor” signs on their premises, even though you see these signs everywhere you go.

The Duty of Property Owners

Just because there is no actual law regarding wet floor signs in California does not mean that the absence of a wet floor sign around a slippery surface will mean that the property owner cannot be held liable for any injuries or damages.

When we turn to premises liability laws, it is important to point out that property owners have a duty of care that they owe to anyone who has a right to be on their premises. This means that the property owners are responsible for ensuring that there are no known hazards that could cause injuries to others. One of the most obvious hazards that regularly occur on certain types of premises is a wet floor. Wet floors can occur in a variety of ways. This can include:

• Spills of food or drink at a restaurant or grocery store
• Mopping or waxing the floor
• Entrances of buildings becoming wet due to outside rainy conditions
• Leaky ceilings

If a property owner, property manager, or employee knows about a wet floor, they should take steps to remedy the situation and put up a wet floor sign until the area is dry.

Essentially, any person who slips and falls and sustains an injury needs to prove the negligence of the property owner in order to recover compensation. Negligence, as far as personal injury claims are concerned, revolves around determining four elements:

• Duty. As we mentioned above, property owners owe a duty of care to those who have a right to be on their premises. For the purposes of a slip and fall case, this often includes putting up a wet floor sign to notify others that there is a hazardous situation.
• Breach. If a property owner breaches their duty to patrons, they could be held liable. In these situations, a breach of duty could constitute failing to put up a wet floor sign when there is a known slippery surface.
• Causation. For a slip and fall claim, it must be shown that the breach of duty directly led to the incident that caused the slip and fall injury. In this case, the absence of a wet floor sign could certainly cause a slip and fall incident.
• Damages. Finally, it must be shown that a slip and fall victim sustained some sort of monetary loss as a result of the incident. This can include medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering losses, and more.

Call an Attorney Today

If you or somebody you love has sustained a slip and fall injury caused by the negligent actions of a property owner, you need to turn to an attorney as soon as possible. A Los Angeles slip & fall lawyer will investigate the entire incident, including whether or not there was a wet floor sign present at the time the incident occurred.