'Watch your step' says HSE
November 1st 2005 Often seen as a bit of a joke, falls at work may prove far from funny both for the victim and the employer.
To emphasise the seriousness with which it regards such falls, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has launched a new campaign - Watch Your Step
Falls are the most common cause of workplace injuries. The number recorded has increased each year for the past five years and last year topped 40 000. The resulting cost to the economy was approximately £800 million, of which £500 million was directly borne by UK businesses.
The HSE's 'Watch Your Step' campaign is a major national initiative that focuses on raising awareness about the financial and personal costs and causes of falls at work.
It involves a partnership programme with Local Authorities and other stakeholders that helps encourage cost-effective and sensible ways of reducing incidents. Justin McCracken, acting chief executive of the HSE, comments "Slips and trips are often seen as a bit of a joke. Although much of the time, we're able to get up and brush ourselves down with nothing more serious than injured pride, all too often the injury is more serious.
"During a normal working day, one person falls and seriously hurts themself in a British workplace every three minutes.
Given that these are only the reported incidents, the actual figure will be significantly higher."
The HSE's Watch Your Step campaign identifies three main causes of falls, all of which can be easily minimised.
Rips in walkways where obstacles such as cables furniture and fittings create a hazard - avoided by tidying up as you go along and keeping walkways clear. Human factors, including failure to report and manage risks. Here, improvements can be made, says the HSE, simply by adopting a "Don't just see it, sort it approach."
More than 90% of those injured in a fall are absent from work for at least one week and falls are behind 16% of compensation claims made against businesses. These are expensive and unnecessary workplace burdens, as Justin McCracken explains "It is estimated that UK businesses are losing over £500 million each year because of falls at work when absenteeism, insurance, wages and civil liability costs are taken into consideration. This is not a laughing matter for any business, but could be particularly crippling for small businesses.
Sectors such as manufacturing, construction and food have some of the highest reported incidence of major injuries and, of these, spillages of wet and dry substances account for more than 10%. A case study at an East Anglian food processing and packing plant highlights both the problems and the solutions.
The company's diligent new safety manager carried out a trend analysis of the company's accident statistics and found most minor injuries and at least one major injury could be attributed to slips and trips of one kind or another. The reportable injury cost an employee a broken elbow and more than £2000 in lost time and, despite the bumps and bruises nature of the minor injuries, it was still possible to directly attribute several thousand pounds worth of incidental costs to these accidents.
The site was surveyed for slip and trip risks. Hazards found included:
Product spillage and poor housekeeping Footwear inappropriate for tasks and locations Floors in some areas not designed for the task Unsafe behaviour - for example not rewinding hoses and leaving pallets strewn across the floor.
The workforce was involved in a process of risk assessment, identifying solutions and prioritising action. Housekeeping training was provided along with awareness sessions on the significance and dangers of slips and trips. Risk assessment training has been given and 'Safe Behaviour' workshops are held.
The emphasis now is very much on collective ownership of health and safety and empowerment of all colleagues to intervene to ensure hazards and risks are tackled. Flooring consultants have advised on appropriate flooring, and footwear trials have been introduced in areas subject to unavoidably wet conditions.
While the company acknowledges that there is still work to do on tackling some of the hazards, recorded incidents have fallen by more than a quarter and none has required medical attention.
The UK's current high incidence of slips and trips is unacceptable. However, as this case study shows, and Justin McCracken concludes, "The good news is that many incidents are preventable by carrying out regular risk assessments and encouraging all employees to be vigilant to the risks and think seriously about how they can ensure a safer workplace."
If you would like more information on the Watch Your Step campaign, go to www.watchyourstep. hse.gov.uk or call the HSE's helpline. More articles from Health & Safety Executive: | 
