SLIPS, TRIPS & FALLS


DON’T LET IT SLIDE


It doesn’t make business sense to take chances with slip prevention as wet leisure facilities reopen after lockdown, warns SafeGroup Managing Director Mike Drake.


This is most definitely the case in the sports and leisure industry where swimming pools, sports centres, spas and gyms are in the process of reopening some of the most potentially dangerous environments ever designed for humans to enjoy themselves in.


Water greatly increases the risk of slips and trips. Most floors installed in wet areas are designed to have slip resistance. However, grime – and residual human body fats – build up on the surfaces, reducing this effect.


For most fit and healthy people, the risk of serious injury from a fall is likely to be far greater than the risk of serious ill-health, or worse, from contracting COVID-19.


Most of us are clueless about the real risks we take every day of our lives, and how they are compounded by the activities we participate in. If we weren’t, we might never get out of bed.


As lockdown measures are lifted, businesses are refocusing their health and safety concerns on these conventional risks.


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Also, we are finding some floors in new spas are designed primarily for aesthetic taste not safety. Shiny marble tiles may look fabulous but they are sometimes more hazardous than ones specifically manufactured for wet areas.


I firmly believe the answer is for leisure and sports facilities to make floor safety a key priority over the next six months.


The average cost of a slip injury claim is between £5,000 and £10,000. Fines rise into the millions of pounds. An HSE prosecution can have a catastrophic effect on a business’s finances and reputation.


www.tomorrowshs.com


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