Slip and fall precautions vital for businesses
Slips,trips and falls are one of the most common forms of
public liability claim, which despite many campaigns launched by the Health and Safety Executive and councils across the land, show no sign of abating.
According to figures released by the HSE there are more than a thousand injuries each month caused by a slip, trip or fall from ground level across the UK and while this may seem trivial, the damage that can be done is often extremely serious.
For many campaigners, one of the most disappointing things about the number of ground level falls is the relative simplicity of health and safety risk assessment that could be used to prevent such things from occurring.
Lowering the risk
For many companies who deal with large numbers of the public, public liability insurance is a must because no matter how stringent the safety policies in place it is impossible to prevent all accidents. But for those companies that haven’t taken the time to make fully comprehensive risk assessments, the chance of finding themselves on the wrong end of a public liability claim is large.
"Over half of the major accidents are caused by slips or trips. People often view slips, trips and falls as trivial incidents, even comical but they are no joke to those who suffer major injuries, a lifetime of disability, time off work and in the worst cases death. The financial cost can be huge while the personal price in pain and inconvenience cannot be under-estimated," said David Head from the HSE.
"We want to raise awareness of how these incidents can happen and how they can be easily avoided by taking common sense actions and precautions at no or little cost."
The retail sector is one area where the HSE has been focusing its recent activities, with large numbers of both staff and customers having being injured in falls in shops. A major concern relates to wet flooring, usually after cleaning, which without adequate signposting can lead people to suffer serious injuries.
In a related area, a number of accidents occur in the bathrooms of public areas. With people going to the sink to wash their hands they may well unwittingly drop water on the floor, which could well lead to other users suffering the consequences.
"Toilets present a significant risk of slips because people wash their hands and then look around for a towel. As they are doing this, water may drip on to the floor," adds Phil Grace from Norwich Union.
Slips, trips and falls are particularly dangerous for older people, who are much more likely to suffer a serious injury even after an apparently innocuous fall.
"An 18-year-old will bounce back and recover more quickly than someone who is retired, for example, and has more brittle bones," said Grace.
"In addition to assessing health and safety risks, making sure you have the correct insurance will help to protect your business. Any tradesman should have public liability insurance to provide compensation in the event of property damage or injury to the customer."
Updated on 5/4/2009