Slips and trips - Find out more

Slips and trips are often seen as a joke, or being the victim’s own fault, however in reality nothing could be further from the truth. They are the most common cause of major injuries at work and can happen almost anywhere. 95% of major slips result in broken bones and they can also be the initial cause for a range of other types of accident such as a fall from height.

Slips and trips are responsible for, on average:

• Over a third of all reported major injuries
• 20% of over-3-day injuries to employees
• 2 fatalities per year
• 50% of all reported accidents to members of the public that happen in workplaces
• cost to employers £512 million per year (lost production and other costs)
• cost to health service £133 million per year
• incalculable human cost
• more major injuries in manufacturing and in the service sectors than any other cause.

The biggest barriers to putting the problems right include: -

• People not taking the risks seriously.
• Little understanding of the causes of slipping.
• Thinking that slips and trips are inevitable.
• Poor application of risk assessment and management controls.

But simple cost effective measures can reduce these accidents!