Christmas is the busiest time of year for retailers as millions of shoppers head out to purchase gifts for friends and family. At this time of year the risk of suffering a slip or fall increases greatly as the cold, wet and increasingly icy weather makes shopping conditions dangerous. To avoid any unnecessary injuries this Christmas follow these tips to help you stay safe whilst out shopping.
Wear the right footwear
With temperatures dropping it is important to wear suitable footwear when out shopping. Wearing shoes that lack grip will compromise your balance can prove to be dangerous when dealing with icy pavements and wet floors inside shops. Wearing shoes with adequate grip can help you avoid slips and falls that can easily result in injury.
Plan ahead
Planning your trip can help you avoid having to rush to catch trains or buses. Running on wet and slippery platforms to catch a train whilst loaded with shopping bags can result in painful and embarrassing falls. Running to get on to trains and buses can also be very dangerous to you and others around you especially when vehicles are in motion.
By planning ahead and allowing enough time to travel to and from your destination, you can avoid putting yourself in any hazardous situations.
Observe public safety signs
In times of heavy rain and snow the entrances to stores and supermarkets can become treacherous places, due to the high volumes of people passing through leaving large amounts of water on the floor. In busy periods product spillages in food stores and supermarkets can also occur more often.
Shops will place wet floor signs around dangerous areas to let customers know where to be cautious. Always observe such signs and warnings even if a surface may appear to be dry, as it is not always obvious when surfaces are slippery or unsafe.
Stay at home
Research by YouGov has recently shown that 46% of shoppers are doing the majority of their Christmas shopping online. Online shopping offers the convenience of shopping from home and helps avoid having to venture on to the high street in bad weather.
Doing your shopping online allows you to avoid the large crowds which can often become unsafe as groups of shoppers jostle for position in stores and on pavements. Injuries can sometimes occur when people bump into or trip over other shoppers in crowded stores. For those who want to stay away from long queues and adverse weather, online shopping is an increasingly popular choice.
Alkers solicitors specialise in personal injury including slips trips and fall claims, workplace injuries and road traffic accidents. If you have the grounds to make a personal injury claim visit us online or contact one of Alkers’ highly qualified solicitors by calling 0800 00 55 44.