Firms warned about slips and falls
Commercial insurance
13th February 2009
Companies are being warned that slips and falls in the workplace could lead to hefty fines and employers' liability insurance claims.
The warning was issued by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after a firm was fined £5,600 when it was to have been found responsible for an accident in which an employee broke his ankle.
Sunlight Services Group was given the fine and ordered to pay costs of almost £9,000 after pleading guilty to breaching health and safety regulations at Coventry Magistrates' Court.
HSE inspector Pamela Folsom said the accident could have been prevented if a basic risk assessment had been carried out.
"An incident like this can often be seen as trivial and laughed off by employers but the cost to businesses and victims mean it is no laughing matter," she commented.
Figures from the HSE show that 61 people died and more than 14,000 people suffered a serious injury following a slip, trip or fall from height in the UK in 2008.
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