The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974

As the Health and Safety Executive is keen to point out,

legal actions brought as a result of injury can be extremely

damaging to business, especially where the public are

involved.

Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974:

Employers have to ensure that their employees and anyone else

who could be affected by their work (such as visitors, members of

the public, patients etc) are kept safe from harm and that their health

is not affected. This means slips and trips risks must be controlled to

ensure people do not slip trip and fall.

With regard to ice, frost and snow, the HSE states the need for employers to assess the risk and put in a system to manage it.

Employers need to:

1. Identify the outdoor areas used by pedestrians most likely to be affected by ice, for example: - building entrances, car parks, pedestrian walkways, shortcuts, sloped areas and areas constantly in the shade or wet.

2. Monitor the temperature, as prevention is key. You need to take action whenever freezing temperatures are forecast...

3. Put a procedure in place to prevent an icy surface forming and/or keep pedestrians off the slippery surface...

For more information see: hse.gov.uk/slips/faq.htm

We provide our clients from both the public and private sector with a complete and economical solution to managing the risk from ice, frost and snow. We will carry out your risk assessments and put in place a full forecasting, inspecting and gritting service, and maintain the necessary records to prove that the appropriate action has been taken.