Risk news

Slips and trips are 'no laughing matter' for businesses, with the cost to firms put at more than ¿512 million every year in the UK.

Norwich Union pointed out that slips and trips remained the most common cause of workplace injuries, with the numbers increasing year on year. In 2004/05 the number of injuries exceeded 42,000.

The insurer's casualty risk manager, Phil Grace, told us these statistics emphasised the seriousness of the issue for businesses.

"People falling down is often seen in the context of comedy, but in many real life situations people have been very badly injured as a result of slips and trips," he said.

"It is a costly problem for employers, with the average incident believed to be as much as ¿25,000 when absenteeism, wages, civil liability and insurance costs are taken into account. The total cost becomes even more significant when you consider the number of incidents involving members of the public."

Management pack
To help tackle the problem of slips and trips involving members of the public, Norwich Union has launched a "risk management pack" for property owners.

The 'Slips and Trips Management Pack' contains a comprehensive set of documents designed to enable a property owner or manager put in place a proactive risk management programme.

John Whittaker, property underwriter at Norwich Union, commented: "Research shows that 50% of all reported accidents involving the public are caused by slips, trips and falls, and the associated cost resulting from compensation claims and down-time to businesses are considerable.

"We have developed this pack to provide property owning clients with practical support to help them manage their business exposure to slip and trip accidents."

He added: "It is not often appreciated that in many cases these accidents are preventable and the pack provides the guidance and tools needed to educate and equip the property owner to reduce incidents, and at the same time save costs."

'Tidying up'
The pack is available to Norwich Union policyholders only. Insurance intermediaries and brokers should contact their account manager for further details.

Research carried out on behalf of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has shown that there are three main causes of falls in the workplace, all of which could be "easily minimised".

The first is slips on wet and dry substances, often through spillages - which should be cleaned or reported immediately. Secondly, many people fall over obstacles in walkways such as cables, products and furniture and fittings. The HSE recommends "tidying up as you go" and keeping all walkways clear.

Finally, there is the problem of "human factors", where management or workers fail to report or deal with the risks.