Legal advice: Guarding against slipping and tripping

Statistics show slipping and tripping to be the single most common cause of injuries in UK workplaces.

During 2006, slips and trips resulted in:-

• Almost 11,000 injuries
• 36 per cent of total number of major injuries
• 30,000 'over three-day' injuries
• 23 per cent of the total number of 'over three-day' injuries

A total of 627 people had major injuries in the hospitality industry - slips and trips don't sound particularly exciting but the injuries can be pretty painful (and I speak from experience). Both customers and staff could sue the business operator/employer for any personal injuries sustained as a result of a slip or trip. More compensation claims are made than for any other cause.

Most floors become slippery because they become contaminated with water leaks, oil leaks, spillages, food debris. Prevent contamination and you will eliminate most slip hazards. The tendency to install wooden floors, ceramic floors and highly polished surfaces has increased the risk of slips; smooth floors have little or no 'slip co-efficient' - the measure of resistance to slips.

Trips are mostly caused by obstacles in the way of where we want to go - we either don't see them, misjudge them or don't expect there to be a hazard. I can vouch for this - I visited a client's office earlier on this week and rang the bell, entered and promptly tripped up a small step I didn't expect to be there! No harm done - except to my pride as I was about to have a meeting on health and safety!

Common trip hazards are boxes, crates, trailing wires, worn carpets and other floor coverings, steps and changes in floor level.

As it is nearly always the case with health and safety, there are some simple, common sense steps to take to reduce the risks of slips and trips.

Good practice tips

The following is a list of good practice tips. Review how many you currently follow and if less than half, you need to implement some improvements. Remember that incidents which don't actually cause injuries are just as important as those that do - so don't say that you don't have a problem - you might have a greater one than you think!

• Ensure that the floor surface has enough grip or non-slip surface. Floors do wear.
• Use the right cleaning method, with the correct type and dose of cleaning chemical
• Can the work be arranged differently to remove some of the risks?
• Is there good supervision, instruction and training for employees, contract cleaners etc?
• Do you promote good safe personal behaviour?
• Check lighting - is it good enough for people to see clearly? Is there any glare?
• Don't let the floor get wet or contaminated
• Check equipment for maintenance
• Keep water or contaminants away from walkways
• Quickly clean up any spillages or contamination that does get on the floor
• Have a 'spillage champion' - someone who is responsible for acting quickly and clearing up spillages
• Provide handholds/handrails to steps and slopes or changes in level
• Select suitable non-slip footwear for employees where there is still a risk of slipping
• Remove obstructionsKeep walkways clear
• Use safety/hazard signage where there are spillages or wet surfaces
• Dry floors thoroughly every time

Just as I said - there are all simple, straightforward common sense steps to reduce the likelihood of slips and trips. And don't forget to complete the risk assessment.