The Health and Safety Laboratory (HSL) has developed a new rating scheme to measure the slip resistance of footwear.
The GRIP scheme works by generating information for health and safety managers so that they can identify the right slip resistant footwear for their workforce. In doing so, they can reduce the number of injuries caused by slips.
Using easy-to-follow star ratings, the GRIP scheme disseminates useful, valid information about the slip resistance of a range of footwear. The initial ratings are now available on HSL’s website at: www.hsl.gov.uk/products/grip/grip-ratings
Standards already exist for slip resistance but they do not challenge footwear, says HSL. Simply having passed the standard does not mean that footwear will prevent slips in the workplace.
HSL recommends that businesses should carry out their own risk assessments to determine the likelihood of slips and inform their footwear purchasing:
Slips, trips and falls are the leading cause of major injuries in the workplace. Recent statistics for Great Britain show that 56 per cent of all major injuries and almost three out of ten (29 per cent) of over seven-day injuries resulted from a slip, trip or fall, according to the latest HSE statistics.
The SHP team recently visited the HSL in Buxton and will be profiling the GRIP rating scheme in more detail in a forthcoming issue.
