Cheltenham Magistrates’ Court heard how on 11 July 2017 two employees of Delphi Diesel Systems Limited were burnt when the vapour of a flammable chemical, which was being used to clean the distillation tank part of a component washer, ignited and caused an explosion. Both employees suffered significant burn injuries, with one employee’s injuries being so serious they could not return to work for over two months.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) into the incident at the company’s site in Stonehouse, Gloucestershire found that no risk assessment had been undertaken for the procedure of cleaning the distillation tank and that no safe system of work had been put in place. The investigation also found that no planning had been undertaken for the use of the flammable chemical during the cleaning activity.

Delphi Diesel Systems Limited of Brunel Way, Stroudwater Business Park, Stonehouse, Gloucestershire has pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company has been fined £1,000,000 and ordered to pay costs of £9,374.

Speaking after the case HSE principal inspector Paul Thompson said: “Those in control of work have a responsibility to devise safe systems of work, and to provide the necessary information, instruction and training to their workers in those systems, as well as the substances they use.

“If a suitable safe system of work had been in place prior to the incident, the injuries suffered by the employees could have been prevented.”

Recent statistics for Great Britain show that 56% of all major injuries and almost three out of ten (29%) of over seven-day injuries resulted from a slip, trip or fall (Health and Safety Executive (HSE) 2013/14). It is estimated that 2 million working days are lost from such accidents, with numerous major injuries to employees and significant costs to employers. But almost all slips and trips can be prevented, often with simple inexpensive interventions. 

Preventing slips

Slips happen when a pedestrian needs more friction than is offered by the combination of their footwear, the flooring they are walking on and any contaminant between the two. This is most common during the heel strike phase of gait and often results in a backward fall. The biggest challenges when trying to prevent slips in the workplace are knowing where to get reliable information on flooring, understanding the ins and outs of cleaning, and knowing how to select footwear. 

Specifying flooring

Not all flooring is slippery when wet. There are many different ways to test how slippery a floor is but only a small number of tests are actually relevant to pedestrian slips. The HSE recommends the use of the pendulum test, a friction test which recreates the important aspects of pedestrian gait. The pendulum is a portable test allowing it to be used when specifying flooring and on site to monitor the slip resistance of installed floors. Excellent slip resistant flooring is available which prevents slips in the workplace, but floors are often poorly specified using inappropriate tests.

Managing cleaning

Cleaning is often overlooked as the least important aspect of a job. In reality, cleaning is an important task in any work environment. Well planned floor cleaning removes contamination and reduces the risk of slips. Poorly planned cleaning can increase the risk of slipping and tripping by leaving smooth floors wet after cleaning and introducing trailing cables and other obstacles to the work environment. Is the cleaning in your business well planned and managed? Is it effective, does it minimise risk?  

Selecting footwear

The slip resistance offered by footwear is wildly variable. Effective slip resistant footwear is available which has been proven to prevent slips. The Health & Safety Laboratory (HSL) have developed the GRIP rating scheme for the slip resistance of footwear. The European PPE Directive recognises the need for slip resistance as a protective property of workplace footwear. Current standards provide a minimum level of compliance. GRIP goes beyond this to provide valid data for selecting appropriate, slip resistant footwear.

Footwear selection should be informed by a risk assessment. The GRIP scheme can help you find appropriate footwear, using a five star rating system. For low hazard environments One Star or Two Star footwear is a sensible way to protect your staff from slips. Where slips are known to occur, Three Star or Four Star footwear will reduce the occurrence of slipping. In the most challenging workplaces, Five Star footwear may be necessary to adequately control slip risk. More detail on GRIP can be found at: www.hsl.gov.uk/products/grip

Preventing trips

Trip hazards are simple to identify, but are not always dealt with. Trips occur when a pedestrian catches their foot on an object which interrupts their gait and usually leads to a forward fall. Obstacles as little as 10 mm high can cause someone to trip. They are often the result of poor housekeeping or poor maintenance; an obstacle left in a walkway or a damaged surface standing proud of its surroundings. Trips can also occur over temporary hazards like curled up matting or trailing cables. Where possible, trip hazards should be removed or repaired. Where this is not possible, clearly identifying the hazard with a highlight which contrasts with its surroundings can help people see the hazard and avoid a trip.