Trip, stumble and fall

Slips, trips and falls comprise one-third of all major injuries reported to the enforcing authorities; one-fifth of three-day injuries to employees; half of accidents among the public; two fatalities annually with a cost to employers of £512m per year and £133m to the NHS.

The human cost is stark - broken and fractured bones, sprains and dislocations are commonplace, along with cuts, bruises, scrapes and back problems. Accidents can generate ongoing problems such as dizziness, headaches and nausea - all of which keep people off work and increase insurance claims costs.

Claims from STF accidents can be made under two types of insurance cover: employers' liability and public liability. Employee STF accidents generally arise from poor housekeeping, such as leakages of water and oil or other contaminants from machinery. STF claims are common under PL policies for premises to which the public have regular access, for example, shopping centres, department stores and residential blocks.

The stories themselves are almost parodies of the old 'banana skin' joke, but the reality is far from funny. For example, a woman was paid £550,000 for being left wheelchair-bound after slipping on a mushroom in a supermarket; spilt cream in another supermarket led to a member of staff slipping over and receiving £200,000 in compensation.

Tackling the problem

Such is the concern surrounding STFs that the Health and Safety Executive - in partnership with local authority and environmental health inspectors - has launched a three-year campaign of site visits, publicity and seminars to tackle the problem.

In addition, the Health and Safety Commission is halfway through a 10-year campaign to cut the number of incidents by 10%.

The broking community is well placed to discuss these issues with their clients and not only from the standpoint of what can be covered by insurance. Not all costs are recoverable and these pose a direct cost to the business concerned.

These uninsured costs can include accident investigation; completing forms for injuries lasting more than three days; hiring temporary staff and accounting for disruption/downtime; paying HSE or local authority fines; adapting premises to prevent further accidents; statutory sick pay for injured staff and ongoing costs to business in the form of damage to reputation.

The facts suggest that businesses should need little persuading to take STFs seriously. Equally, the process of identifying the causes is fairly straightforward. Poor flooring, bad maintenance, incorrect footwear, poor lighting, inadequate cleaning regimes, lack of signage and poor housekeeping may be the result of slashed budgets and poor communication.

Remedying the problem is where the job becomes more complex. A very robust system of managing the risk is essential, but often difficult to maintain. Nevertheless, a formal programme to control STFs is needed, which ensures all accidents are reported and investigated and all causes identified with appropriate actions taken.

Pinpointing the main areas of risk is best approached with a self-assessment check list. This will focus the duty holders - the owner, managing agent, tenant or facilities manager - on their principal health and safety responsibilities.

Appropriate questions could highlight areas of concern. Questions could include who is responsible for maintaining and cleaning the property? Is there a planned maintenance programme? Is cleaning carried out by employees or contractors? Who is responsible for carrying out inspections and how often are they done? Are inspections recorded and for how long are they kept? Is there a system for recording STF accidents and ensuring they are investigated? Are accidents reviewed on a regular basis to spot trends? Do you know if any slip and trip accidents have resulted in compensation claims?

Despite having all the above measures in place, the best approach to STFs for businesses is prevention. Active participation by management, supervisors and employees is necessary to avert hazardous conditions that could result in accidents. Norwich Union Risk Services has prepared Hard Facts - Conducting risk assessments and NU will work with brokers to develop tailored solutions for specific clients.

A manager's responsibilities should include routine inspections to ensure all walking and working surfaces are free from hazards and that they are maintained in a good condition. Adequate lighting should be provided along with a housekeeping programme to improve the tidiness of work places. Suitable and sufficient cleaning services need to be managed carefully. Controlling the hazard of STFs can be achieved through selecting suitable flooring materials and having proper design of all fixed ladders and stairs.

But employees also have a role to play by keeping their work areas free from hazards, reporting any potential dangers and co-operating with management.

Overall, simple housekeeping methods can prevent STF hazards. For example, all work areas, passageways, storerooms and service rooms should be kept clean, orderly and in a sanitary condition; the floor of every area should be maintained in a clean and, where possible, dry condition.

Where wet processes are in use, drainage should be maintained with gratings, mats or raised platforms provided. Every work area should be kept free of holes and loose or torn floor coverings.

Recording and investigation

It is vital that all STF incidents are recorded and investigated. Having a comprehensive incident-reporting form is essential to capture all the evidence, which will reveal what went wrong and where corrective action might be needed. In addition, accidents may need to be reported to the enforcing authority and records kept in case a civil claim ensues.

The form should encompass the nature of the accident, including the date, time, location, external factors such as weather and the type of work carried out in that location. The impact on the injured person should also be recorded in detail, such as the type of injury, the part(s) of their body affected and treatment required. Names of witnesses should also be noted, along with the primary cause of the accident and any other contributing factors. Recommendations to prevent future accidents should be included along with details of whether the accident is reportable to the enforcing authority and whether form 2508 - the HSE's official accident-reporting form - has been completed and submitted.

It is true that STFs sometimes arise from the negligence, recklessness - and even drunkenness - of the person involved. The ease with which they can harness the assistance of a claims company means that spurious claims are an increasing problem. However, in the majority of cases, the cause of an STF can be traced back to the duty holder. If the HSE's ambition to cut STF volumes is to be realised, businesses - and their brokers - need to do more.