The findings of an HSE-funded survey into practices within the UK road haulage sector relating to slip, trip and fall risk factors are now available.

Employers use a variety of control measures to reduce the risk of slips, but if a significant slip risk remains, introducing footwear with slip-resistant properties may be the only effective way they can further reduce the risk.

New figures released by the HSE reveal that 61 people died and more than 14,000 suffered serious injuries as a result of a slip, trip, or fall from height at work in Britain last year.

A worker has been left with permanent scars after he fell into an unfenced pit at a foundry in Stoke-on-Trent and was scorched by molten metal.

Morrisons Supermarkets has been fined £17,500 after a worker fractured her elbow when she slipped at a store in Ipswich.

An HSE inspector has slammed two construction companies for “appalling” safety standards at a building site in London.

A property developer has appeared in court after the HSE ordered it to stop work at a construction site in Manchester on three separate occasions.

It took London Underground several months to repair a step at the entrance to a tube station despite a spate of incidents in which members of the public sustained injuries in falls, a court has heard.

Icy conditions are prevalent at this time of year, making winter gritting an issue for employers and premises owners. Alastair Kight explains what is required to fulfil your duty of care and prevent accidents in slippery conditions.

Thanks to the HSE’s Shattered Lives campaign, the financial, personal and business implications of slips, trips and falls are now firmly back in the spotlight. Stuart Thorne looks at the key issues that need to be addressed to prevent these major causes of workplace injuries, focusing particularly on the merits of safety footwear.

Global building solutions company CEMEX was a winner in the recent SHP Awards for its campaign to reduce the incidence of slips and trips among its delivery drivers, who make up more than 75 per cent of Cemex Logistics’ employees. Barry Flitton explains how the initiative saw the number of lost-time injuries due to slips and trips drop by more than 60 per cent.

A slip or trip incident is no laughing matter when it results in serious injury to the victim and a day in court, plus attendant costs, for the duty-holder, as these recent cases examined by Sarah Faulkner illustrate.

In 2005, the HSE approached the Prison Service with proposals to carry out an investigation into slips and trips to examine what could be done to reduce such accidents in prisons. Mary Guinness reports on some of the findings.

Slips and trips in public and commercial areas cost UK industry more than £500 million a year in compensation and legal fees. At this time of year, when snow and ice are making getting about even more hazardous, it is doubly important to keep such areas liquid and dirt-free.

CERAM has been accredited by the British Standards Institution to carry out on-site slip-resistance testing.

The TUC recently issued a new guide on appropriate footwear for the workplace. Entitled Working feet and footwear, it was produced in response to TUC findings that, while many employers do allow their workers to wear healthy and safe footwear, some big city institutions and upmarket retailers insist that female staff who deal with the public wear slip-on shoes, or heels as part of a dress code.

Specialist hose manufacturer Hozelock recently launched a range of fluorescent-orange heavy-duty hose products specifically designed to reduce trip hazards on building sites.

Metallisation Ltd says its new non-slip, anti-corrosion 28E ARCTEC coating is ideal for use on steel floors, decks and panels in diverse industries, from train steps to oil platforms.

According to safety supplier Arco, effective slip prevention can halve the rate of injuries due to slip and trip incidents. Consequently, the company is now offering a surface testing service to its customers using the Health and Safety Executive’s SAT Site Assessment tool.

Totectors is returning to the market under new management after a short hiatus, and will be exhibiting a brand new range of safety footwear.

Blue slip-resistant Vynagrip matting from Plastic Extruders Ltd is being used in the production line of the new Mackies’ Crisps brand at Perthshire potato company, Taypack.