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Slips and trips are the most common cause of accidents as reported by the HSE. They account for around a third of all major workplace injuries and can lead to other accidents, such as falls from height or into machinery. Slips, trips or falls account for around 30% of non-fatal injuries to employees, and falls from height account for around a quarter of all fatal injuries in the workplace. Over half of these deaths were to workers in the construction sector, with an annual average of roughly 18 fatalities.
But it’s not just workers that are at risk. The HSE state that slips and trips also account for half of all reported injuries in workplaces where there is public access, such as hospitals, shops and restaurants.
In view of this, we need to carefully think about what might cause slips or trips in the workplace, then decide whether enough is being done to prevent them, because once risks have been identified, you must do what you can to control them.
In general, a large number of slips occur when floors become wet or contaminated with substances like oil and many trips are due to poor housekeeping. The solution to this can often be low cost and is down to good education and common sense. In order to identify the hazards and risks, a risk assessment is carried out and followed.
