Fall in a day’s work

Slips, trips and falls continue to be one of the biggest causes of injury for colleagues, particularly during the autumn and winter months, and the most likely cause of serious injuries resulting in absence from work.

To illustrate the scale of the problem, last year there were 2,245 slip and trip accidents across the business. Slips, trips and falls increase during the autumn and winter season for a number of reasons: there is less daylight, leaves on the ground become wet and slippery and cold weather spells cause ice and snow to build up on paths and pavements.

This week, managers and safety representatives will be reviewing how our sites manage the risk of slips, trips and falls and ensuring that all relevant standards are in place to create a safe working environment, whether indoors or outdoors.

Outdoor slips, trips and falls account for a number of broken bones, bruising and musculoskeletal conditions each year, while poor housekeeping and congested work areas can present hazards when performing tasks indoors.

To ensure that units are adequately prepared to prevent slips, trips and falls this autumn an intranet page has been set up for managers, which includes posters, briefing materials and unit action plans.