Slips and trips, which cost the hospitality industry £512m a year in insurance claims, are the subject of a revised guidance sheet from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

According to the HSE, slips and trips account for half of all major injuries in the industry and a third (32%) of injuries lasting more than three days.

The new information sheet, which can be downloaded from www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/cais6.pdf  gives advice on how to prevent accidents and comply with the law.

It underlines the fact slips are caused by wet or dirty floors, while poor housekeeping and uneven surfaces are responsible for most trips.

The guidance also stresses the need to plan ahead to deal with problems during busy periods.

The HSE is also providing free computer software (available from www.hsesat.info/ ) to help managers calculate the slip risk of smooth floors.

It must be used in conjunction with a portable surface roughness meter and details are provided on www.hsesat.info/satmeters.htm

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