Clampdown on slips and trips risk says Aviva

Phil Grace, liability risk manager at Aviva, said: "Last year, 25 workers were killed and more than 4,000 seriously injured in the manufacturing sector in the UK, with a slip or trip the cause of 21% of these incidents." Slips or trips accounted for one in eight of all loss claims over £125,000 registered with Aviva in 2010. The insurance firm urged manufacturers to counter the risk with proper health and safety procedures. Grace said: "Employees should be trained to look out for potential problems such as exposed cables across walkways, and managers should foster a culture in which spillages, leaks and incidents are recorded. He added: "Business owners should also conduct thorough risk assessments to identify slip and trip hazards, considering if there are suitable controls in place, such as a proper systems for cleaning floors and, if necessary, laying more slip resistant floors with higher surface roughness." The advice forms part of Aviva's Simply Safety campaign.