Nurse tells of slip and fall on discarded onion at Bunnings

A nurse has told of how she almost lost her life to a dropped Bunnings onion. Photo / File

After customer claims of near death experiences in sausage-related slips have started to surface, it's clear that Bunnings' new directive on how to construct a sausage sandwich is no joke.

Claiming that her slip and fall in Bunnings nearly cost her "life", an Australian nurse has taken to social media to lash detractors who derided making the barbecue snack safer.

"Only those close to me will really ever know or understand," said the nurse who took to her social media account to tell her story.

She has announced she will sue the hardware mega retailer for her injuries.

"For me personally, that one trip to Bunnings has nearly cost me my career as a theatre nurse, my home and at my darkest time when I could see no future, nearly my life," she wrote, apparently referring to a threat to both her physical health and her ability to earn an income as a nurse.

"Besides the pain, surgery and an unknown future (as a result of the fall), I was more offended by the laughter and comments over the whole issue than anything else.

"So please, before you say things and have a good laugh, just think of those many poor people out there that have really been affected by something so simple as a stupid little piece of onion that fell onto the floor while you were shopping."

Bunnings has taken a hard-line stance on how to construct sausage sangas, by non-professional cooks who use the retailer to raise funds for various charities and community services.

"Safety is always our number one priority and we recently introduced a suggestion that onion be placed underneath sausages to help prevent the onion from falling out and creating a slipping hazard," Bunnings chief operating officer Debbie Poole said this week.

Another victim, Queensland farmer Trevor, echoed her sentiments.

"It is serious stuff, this onion thing," he said, describing an alarming event where he visited the hardware retailer only to be undone by the slippery vegetable.

"I walked into store and it happened so fast, I had leather boots on … I went down on my back."

Describing the ongoing effect the injury had on him, Trevor compared it to his days in the ring.

"I used to be an amateur boxer and I learnt the punch is not going to kill you," he said.

"It's hitting your head on the concrete that is going to. I went to another Bunnings a couple of weeks after and I had a panic attack."

And despite the changes, Trevor has a word for the wise.

"Every time I go into Bunnings now I look on the floor — I look for onions."

Trevor received compensation from Bunnings for his fall.

Poor construction has meant many sandwiches have fallen apart and unsuspecting shoppers have been at risk of slip and fall injuries as they make their way around the retailer.

While many members of the public have mocked the move by Bunnings to take a hard line stance and establish policy on their iconic Bunnings Sausage Sizzles, Ms Poole has been absolutist about the policy roll out.

"Safety is always our number one priority," she said.

Bunnings original release to concerned community groups was simple.

"Onions can be slippery when they fall out of a sausage sandwich," it read.

"To make sure that onions don't end up on the ground and pose a slipping risk, please apply a small amount of onion to the bread under the sausage when serving."