Hospital worker injured after slip
A hospital worker was injured when she slipped on a wet floor at her work place.
The incident happened when she opened the door of a meeting room and stepped into the corridor.
The woman slipped and fell, as the vinyl floor had just been cleaned and was still wet. Although she did not sustain any serious personal injuries, this was largely a matter of chance as there could have been the potential for a serious injury on another occasion.
The incident led to a claim for the work accident.
An inspector from the HSE happened to witness the incident and immediately made enquiries about how floor cleaning operations were managed by the Trust. The inspector was sufficiently concerned to give the hospital an Improvement Notice.
This would provide points, which would endeavour to make the hospital safer.
Furthermore in another slipping incident, a company changed the way it dealt with its own cleaning procedures after an employee was injured after a fall.
The precision equipment manufacturing company moved into a new office that had linoleum floors, immediately slipping accidents started to happen on one floor at an alarmingly high rate.
Product problems
After puzzling over the problem, the health and safety adviser contacted the cleaning product supplier for advice, but the supplier couldn't figure out what was happening either, as their product was not known to cause such problems.
Eventually the adviser spoke with the cleaner and discovered that she was using regular washing up liquid to clean the floors with as the substance she was suppose to use was stored downstairs and it was 'inconvenient' for her to go down and get it!
The offending floor was immediately cleaned using the right product and the slip resistance of the floor improved instantly.
Needless to say, the floor cleaning substance is now stored on each floor in the building so the cleaner never resorts to using washing up liquid again.
Slip at work lead to change in procedures
After another incident, an investigation by a local authority environmental health officer into a slipping accident to an employee at a commercial sales office and showroom highlighted the need for a review of the company's cleaning regime in their risk assessment.
Entrance matting was also seen as an area of concern. The employee had slipped on an area of flooring that had been mopped but not dried properly.
The company's 'General Procedures and Safety Precautions' had stated 'Do not walk on wet or newly polished floors', however wet cleaning took place during working hours when staff were always moving around their desks.
It was suggested that cleaning should take place outside work hours but this was not possible because of security reasons.
Instead, the company adopted a new regime which cleaned and dried floors without leaving them wet. They also made materials available for staff to spot clean any localised spillages.
The company has now carried out a specific 'slips and trips risk assessment' and has increased the size and positioning of their entrance matting systems as well as introducing the dry cleaning regime. Incidentally, there have been no further slipping accidents to date.
Meanwhile, the number of compensation claims made as a result of falls at work could reduce after the passing of a new motion that allows women to wear comfortable shoes at work.
Updated on 18/09/2009