Being an employer comes with a number of responsibilities and one of those is the need to try and keep your staff free from injury by creating as safe a workplace environment as possible.
Injury claims specialists like Claims Direct and others are regularly handing legal cases that involve workers suffering an injury or worse, as a result of a slip or trip, so it is important that employers do what they can to develop a successful strategy for minimising risk.
Massive cost to employers
The HSE is the government health and safety body that promotes and polices a safe working environment for all workers in the UK and they record accident statistics as well as providing guidance and information to try and reduce these accident numbers.
There is little doubt when you look at the recorded figures published by the HSE, that slips, trips and falls account for a large percentage of incidents involving members of staff and members of the public in designated workplaces.
About 40% of all the accidents reported to the HSE are directly attributed to an incident involving a slip, trip or fall. Injured workers may need the services of a personal injury law firm to help them seek compensation for their injuries and other damages.
There are numerous scenarios that lead to the accident occurring in the first place such as having an unsuitable floor surface or a contaminated floor in the workplace area concerned. There is also the prospect of an injury if the worker is wearing unsuitable footwear, there is an obstruction in the walkway or there was poor lighting in the area.
Legal requirement
Employers have a duty of care to try and keep their employees safe in the workplace and there is a legal requirement to observe the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.
Employers have to take necessary steps to control slip and trip risks but employees also have a duty to not put themselves or others in danger and they must use any safety equipment that is provided for them.
There are two other legal acts that are aimed at preventing slips and trips at work. The Management of Health and Safety and Work Regulations 1999 require employers to adequately assess risks and take action to address them.
The other main legislation that employers need to heed is the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, which deals with ensuring that floors and surfaces are suitable and free from obstruction, so that workers are able to move around safely.
Risk assessment
Employers need to be proactive when it comes to trying to prevent accidents and this often starts with a comprehensive risk assessment.
Your priority when carrying out this risk assessment is not a matter of generating huge volumes of paperwork but more about taking sensible measures in place to control the risks in your workplace.
One of the best ways of doing this is to involve your employees in the process and ask them what they think the hazards are, so that together you can create a hazard-spotting checklist which will form the framework of your risk assessment.
Straightforward measures can often be very effective in preventing slips, trips and falls and it is always better to be an informed employer when it comes to health and safety in the workplace.
Mark Brambles is an experienced health and safety executive. He is happy to share his experiences and insights to others online. You can find a number of previous articles written by him across a range of business-orientated sites.
Mark Brambles is an experienced health and safety executive. He is happy to share his experiences and insights to others online. You can find a number of previous articles written by him across a range of business-orientated sites.
