Watch Your Step campaign

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An environmental health safety team from Peterborough City Council will be visiting catering premises during October to warn owners about the financial and personal costs of ‘slips and trips’ accidents in the workplace.

Slips and trips are the most common cause of non-fatal major injuries to employees and are estimated to cost industry £512 million per year, with more than 80 per cent nationally resulting in broken bones.

They accounted for over a third of all such injuries reported to Peterborough City Council in 2003/04.

Environmental Health Officer Gail Lewis said: “Slips and trips are especially important in the food industry because they occur four times more often than that of other industries.

“Slips and trips are often seen as a joke but in reality nothing could be further from the truth. It’s not funny if you end up in hospital with a broken leg or back injury because you have fallen over at work.

“Most of the accidents are preventable and employers need to take positive action to reduce the risk of slips and trips accidents occurring in their workplaces.”

Inspectors will be advising owners and supervisors of simple measures that can significantly reduce the risk of slips and trips in the workplace. These include keeping floors dry and free from obstacles, repairing damaged and uneven floor surfaces and training and empowering workers to recognise risks and take action to eradicate them.

The campaign is part of a national ‘Watch Your Step’ initiative launched by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). For more information visit www.hse.gov.uk/watchyourstep/index.htm

October 2005