Slips, Trips & Falls at Work

Slips, Trips & Falls

Slips, trips and falls are amongst the most common causes of workplace accidents. While they may seem innocuous they can result in serious injury with life changing impact. Head contact with the floor especially if the floor is uneven can cause whiplash, skull fractures and even brain damage. Taking full body weight whilst falling onto your hands and knees can cause fractures, breaks or sprains and twisting whilst falling can lead to back injury.

To reduce the potential hazards that lead to slips, trips and falls, employers must proactively manage the workplace environment, thus lowering the risk to employees. Legally employers must carry out risk assessments and as a result put in place measures to control the level of risk. Measures such as;

• when floors are being cleaned there is a ‘cleaning in progress sign’ to warn others of wet floors and avoid the area or take extra care if they absolutely have no other way through
• spillages are cleaned up immediately placing warning signs around the area whilst the cleanup is in process
• floors are installed that are made of material designed to reduce slipping
• anti slip tape, mats and grates are used to prevent an area becoming slippery, particularly around entrances and exits
• employees wear footwear that is appropriate to the specific work conditions they work in
• walkways and staircases are free of obstacles that could become trip hazards
• cables do not trail along the floor by providing enough plug sockets and use cable tidies and/or cover strips where possible
• there is adequate lighting inside and outside of the workplace helping to illuminate areas that may be considered a potential place to trip or fall
• loose carpet or tiling or an uneven floor surface is fixed as soon as possible
• employees use their manual handling techniques when carrying a load so that they see any potential obstacle and therefore avoid injury by tripping over it
• sudden changes in floor level are avoided when designing new premises. With older premises where there are sudden changes in floor level ensure that they are clearly highlighted with signage
• exercising caution when working at height and using ladders

A company may be liable for any accidents that happen as a result of not undertaking necessary risk assessments and applying the required safety procedures. If you are thinking having read this “I slipped and fell at work and there were no signs” or “when I fell down the stairs at work it was very dark” please do get in touch with our specialist solicitors as there is a good chance you are entitled to compensation. All calls to us are free and there is no obligation to proceed. Call us today on 0800 028 2060 and find out how we can help.

Contact us today for free, no obligation advice regarding your Accident At Work claim – either by calling us free on 0800 028 2060, or by requesting a free call back, whereby one of our team will contact you at a time of your choice, to discuss your situation.

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