How To Keep Employees & the Public Safe From Slips, Trips and Falls

Slips, trips and falls are the most common cause of workplace injuries in the UK, with an average of six accidents happening every day.

While only some result in fatalities, they still take a toll on employee morale and productivity with about 1.5 million working days lost due to employees taking days off to recover from slips, trips and falls. And such falls, slips and trips are almost always entirely preventable.

What’s more, it costs very little to prevent such accidents from happening.
As an employer, you have a legal responsibility to protect the health and safety of your employees and visitors. That includes carrying out a risk assessment and where necessary taking steps to control slip, trip and fall risks. For example, using doormats to stop rainwater being tracked into your building and making the floor slippery.

Comments from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE)

To conduct a risk assessment, consider what risks in your workplace could lead to slips, trips or falls, recommends the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

Then decide what suitable and effective control measures will stop such accidents happening and put those control measures into practice, says the HSE.

“Concentrate on the real risks – those that are most likely to cause harm,” says the HSE. “Think about how accidents could happen and who might be harmed.”

You can do this by:

• Asking your employees what they think are hazards in your workplace. After all, they may notice things that you don’t. They might also have suggestions on how you can control such risks.
• Using the HSE’s Hazard Checklist to identify and fix potential hazards that could otherwise cause slips, trips and falls both inside and outside your premises.
Here are some of the ways the HSE suggests you can prevent slips, trips and falls in and around your premises:
• Use entrance matting
• Use anti-slip mats
• Make sure spills are cleaned up
• Repair machinery or building leaks
• Improve tasks to minimise spills
• Have regular plant and equipment maintenance carried out
• Ensure that you use cleaning methods that are suitable for the flooring you have
• Dry smooth floors are cleaning or keep people away from those areas until the floors are dry
• Establish plans for routine cleaning and dealing with spills
• Make sure the detergent used to clean floors is mixed at the correct concentration
• Replace loose, damaged or worn flooring
• Replace flooring that becomes too slippery when wet
• Ensure that lighting is sufficient and that steps and slopes are visible
• Make sure that walkways and work areas are free from obstructions
• Make sure your employees wear the right footwear particularly if they work in areas that are likely to get wet or slippery.

About EveryMat
EveryMat offers affordable, high quality matting (including entrance mats, anti-slip mats, and anti-fatigue mats) for every location and application for commercial, retail, industrial and leisure premises. To find out more, call 033 3567 3567 or continue to browse our website.