Fall into hot oil highlights dangers of workplace slips

The head chef of a pub in Gloucestershire has been awarded £10,000 after a slip at work that left her horribly scarred. This just one of some 11,000 slips and trips that happen every year in the UK, which highlight the seriousness of this health and safety issue for businesses.

The hot oil of the fryer of the Weavers Arms in Gloucestershire had been emptied to allow it to cool and left on the floor in a container. Although it had been standing for about an hour, the temperature was still estimated to be around 120 degrees Celsius. The chef, Heather Turner-Lunn, was passing when she slipped on the wet floor and her arm landed in the oil.

The pub owner, Marston’s PLC, was fined £10,000 because its risk assessments and safe systems of work were found to be inadequate and it was found that the employees were not being given appropriate information, training and supervision.

Analysis by the HSE reveals that slips and trips are responsible for almost a third of all of workplace injuries, and that they cost employers £512m a year. These costs come not only from fines, but also from equipment damage, production delays, loss of experience and expertise, and the administration required.

McDonald’s was fined £20,000 and ordered to pay costs of almost £19,000 after a similar accident in one of its Leicester locations. A kitchen worker slipped on a piece of card that was being used to soak up oil from a leaking machine, putting out her arm to stop her fall, it was submerged in scalding hot oil.

The company pleaded guilty to creating a ‘slip or trip’ hazard, which was a failing of their duty to their employees, as well as having insufficient risk assessment and an incomplete maintenance log for the leaking machine.

HSE Inspector Sarah Haynes said: "Over 50% of major injuries at work in the catering and hospitality sector are as a result of slips, trips and falls. [They] can be viewed as being minor, funny accidents but the effects are not. They [can] shatter businesses through costs such as employee absence, sick pay and reduced productivity."

Preventing slips can be straightforward, the HSE advises. Preventing contamination on the floor, through reviews and improved designs will eliminate most slip risks; a clean, smooth, dry floor is rarely a risk. The contamination that cannot be eliminated will require the investigation of methods of control. Insuring the lighting is suitable and checking for ice, rainwater, or other conditions that may affect the floor roughness will protect against some of the hidden dangers and suitable footwear is always very important in preventing slips.

The whitepaper Slips, Trips and Falls: how to avoid them in the workplace can be downloaded here>>