Case studies
The case studies in this section are all based on real incidents in the workplace with real consequences for the people involved.
Latest case studies
- Leading energy company tackles slips and trips
- Famous UK biscuit company looks at ways to reduce slips and trip incidents in the workplace
Kitchen related accidents
- Council reduces slip accidents amongst catering staff
- Restaurant trips up after ignoring housekeeping advice
- Chef slips and suffers severe arm burns from hot oil
- Risk of slips reduced in school canteen
- Pub-restaurant chain's choice of kitchen floor surface
- Fast food employee flash fries her arm in 360°F oil following slip
- Serious burn injuries lead to serious fine for fast food restaurant!
Contamination and spillages
- Serious burn injuries lead to serious fine for fast food restaurant
- Fractured skull from a “wholly preventable” catering slip
- Supermarket prosecution for leaking chiller cabinet
- Tackling slips in a further education establishment
- Containing spillages at a manufacturing bakery
- Oily floors in engineering workshop
- Slipping on dust in machinery workshop
Housekeeping and cleaning regimes
- Hospital improves floor cleaning after a slip
- Trip risk warnings ignored!
- Company changes cleaning methods following accident investigation
- Carpet company fails to maintain their own carpets!
- Poor housekeeping causes trip accident
- Why more shopping centre slips in the middle of the day?
- Improving cleaning at a manufacturing bakery
Effective matting systems
Slippery store entrance in wet weather - supermarket entrance matting
Choice of suitable footwear
- Oil company protects ankles AND guards against slips
- Pet food company reduces slip accidents after introducing new footwear
- Logical approach cuts slips & trips by two thirds at food processor
- Temporary staff miss out on anti slip footwear
- Footwear choices at a manufacturing bakery
- Slip risks on a supermarket's smooth floor - sensible long and short-term action
Design of workplace and work activities
- Supermarket fined after worker slipped in hot oil
- Japanese 5S management system
- Ice build up in cold store costs time and money - frozen food factory
- An error in pedestrian flow management
- Designing safety into buildings
Maintenance of plant and the work environment
- Trip risk warnings ignored!
- Holed walkway went unrepaired for months before injuring a health service worker
- Leaking machinery causes persistent pool of water in commercial kitchen
- Worn out stairs carpet causes serious fall - yet still goes unrepaired
- Ice not a problem for Prison
Specification of appropriate flooring
- Supermarket fined after ignoring advice about fitting a particular type of floor tiles
- Local Authorities weather proof their new reception area
- Company prosecuted after driver breaks his ankle after slipping near a diesel pump (added May 09)
- Caution ! Wet paint
- Fractured skull from a "wholly preventable" catering slip
- Pub-restaurant chain's choice of kitchen floor surface
- Ramped walkways at railway station
- College fits the right floor surfaces in the right places
- Designing safety into buildings
- Fast food restaurant owners ponder options
- Slipping on dust in machinery workshop
Effective training and supervision
- Find out how STEP is used in Vocational Training (links to the National Archives)
- Inadequate training leads to serious slip accident
Working together to solve the problem
- Logical approach cuts slips & trips by two thirds at food processor
- Japanese 5S management system
- Management, workers and equipment suppliers collaborate on tackling slips