The Importance of Preventing Falls in the Workplace

  Posted by: electime      6th September 2023

by Chris Macwilliam, Partner and Head of Personal Injury, Clough & Willis Solicitors

While every employer has a responsibility to keep employees safe and prevent accidents, injuries in workplaces happen all too frequently. Among the most common types of accidents are slips, trips and falls – in 2022, these accounted for 30 per cent of all non-fatal accidents self-reported by employers in the UK, according to statistics from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Falls from height accounted for an additional 8 per cent of accidents, which shows that falls are remarkably common in British workplaces.

The responsibility that employers have to mitigate risks and keep the number of accidents to a minimum is not only a moral one, but a legal one. This means that, if a business fails to address conditions that could lead to an accident and a worker, visitor or member of the public is injured as a result, they may face serious legal consequences.

Here, the legal experts at Clough & Willis explain what businesses can do to minimise the hazards that employees face in the workplace, and detail how workers can take legal action and pursue compensation if they are injured at work and it is found to have been their employers fault.

Why do businesses need to combat the risk of falls?

It is important for businesses to address the risk of falls for several reasons: they are the most common type of accident, and can occur in any industry; they can result in injuries, which can affect productivity and create problems for the business; and failure to do so can result in significant legal consequences.

The types of injuries that may be sustained in a fall include cuts and bruises, broken bones, concussions and more severe injuries, all of which entitle someone to compensation if it is found that the business was at fault for the accident. Injuries sustained in falls from height can often be much more serious, so it is important to invest in extra safety measures and implement effective policies if this is a risk in your workplace.

An accident may be found to have been the fault of an employer in cases where they failed to identify and address a risk. As we have said, slips, trips and falls are the most common type of workplace accident, and businesses should be alert to the causes of these accidents when designing and implementing health and safety policies – even in industries or workplaces where the likelihood of this type of accident seems relatively low.

Thankfully, there are a number of ways that businesses can successfully address risks and prevent accidents. In many cases, there are foreseeable conditions that can lead to an incident or injury, and by working carefully to anticipate this risk, those responsible for workplace health and safety can successfully reduce the number of accidents that occur. If and when accidents do happen, it will be much more likely that employees themselves will be found to be at fault, particularly if organisations have taken every possible precaution. We will offer some suggestions about how businesses can do this in their workplaces below.

What can businesses do to mitigate the risk?

It is important to recognise that some industries and workplaces present a higher risk of falls (and accidents in general). The HSE statistics cited above also show that agriculture, forestry, fishing and construction are the UK industries that experience the most accidents and non-fatal injuries per 100,000 workers.

As a result, those responsible for health and safety in those industries – and others with high rates of accidents, such as food service – may need to take extra steps to mitigate risk and prevent injuries. However, it is important to note that every industry and workplace has its own unique risks, and this is the reason that careful and thorough risk assessments are so important. To reduce the chances of an accident occurring, you must first recognise the factors and conditions that are most likely to cause these accidents.

One of the most frequent causes of slips, trips and falls is that people are not made aware when there is a heightened level of risk – for example, when a liquid has been spilt, or when a period of inclement weather has caused a particular surface to become more slippery. Businesses must utilise wet floor signs and other hazard awareness tools to clearly identify dangers. If employees need to work at height, training and personal protective equipment are vital. However, these must be applied in a way that addresses the risks that are specific to your workplace, as this is the only way to successfully prevent accidents.

This can also help to insulate a business against legal repercussions – if an employer has done everything they can to warn people about a risk, they are less likely to be considered responsible for any injuries that occur when people ignore these warnings. However, it is important to say that there are many criteria that are used to determine liability when an accident happens, and it is never a simple matter to determine who was at fault for an injury. Ultimately, businesses must stay aware of risks and plan accordingly, to avoid accidents and their legal repercussions.