Warburtons staff use their loaf when it comes to workplace safety

Date:

24 February 2010

Release No:

NE/072/10

Staff at Warburton's bakery in Newcastle today (22 February) backed a campaign to reduce slips, trips and falls in the workplace as they showed off some of the new safety measures at their Newburn bakery.

Slips and trips are the most common cause of major workplace injury in Britain and resulted in at least 4,000 working days being lost in the North East last year.

In response, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is running a new phase of its 'Shattered Lives' campaign to raise awareness of the impact of slips, trips and falls in the workplace and direct people to the website (www.hse.gov.uk/shatteredlives) for practical advice and guidance.

The bakery at Newburn, which produces bread and morning goods for shops and supermarkets across the North East, is currently being upgraded with new non-slip flooring and a new high-level walkway. The company has also invested in a range of mobile step platforms to make it easier for staff to work safely at height, and hopes that these, and the other measures being introduced, will help to continue to prevent slips, trips and falls in the bakery.

David Cole, HSE Principal Inspector for the North East, said:

"It's great that Warburton's is backing the campaign and is helping its employees understand and control the potential for slips, trips and falls to happen.

"Slips, trips and falls might sound comical, even trivial, but they shatter the lives of thousands of British workers ever year.

"Making improvements doesn't need to cost the earth and we are encouraging people to visit the Shattered Lives website, where they will be able to get simple and cost effective solutions to help manage slips, trips and falls hazards in their workplace."

Mike Smith, Safety Manager at Warburton's Newburn bakery, said: "Here at Warburton's, we work on the principle that every accident is preventable so we're only too pleased to support the Shattered Lives campaign.

"We've significantly reduced the rate of accidents involving slips, trips and falls over the last couple of years, and the new equipment we're putting in place will certainly help reduce this even further. We've also taken practical steps to develop a strong safety culture, by giving employees a much stronger voice, encouraging them to be more proactive in health and safety in their own work areas and involving them in carrying out safety audits. This has led to a marked improvement in our safety record. "

On the new Shattered Lives website, people will be able to find out information on how they can easily, and cost effectively, reduce the risk of slips, trips and falls in the workplace, and see what other organisations, such as Sainsbury's and First Line Digital, have done. Included on the site is an online tool (STEP) and a work at height access equipment toolkit (WAIT). Advice ranges from how to deal with spills and other slip risks, to the importance of using ladders correctly to reduce the risk of falling from height.

Notes to editors

1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain's national regulator for workplace health and safety. It works to prevent death, injury and ill-health to those at work and those affected by work activities. For more information about the work of HSE, visit www.hse.gov.uk
2. In 2008/09 in the North East there were 714 major injuries to workers, as well as 1,404 workers having to take over three days off work.
3. Reportable major injuries include fractures, other than to fingers, thumbs and toes; amputations; dislocation of the shoulder, hip, knee or spine; loss of sight (temporary or permanent); chemical or hot metal burn to the eye or any penetrating injury to the eye; injury resulting from an electric shock or electrical burn leading to unconsciousness, or requiring resuscitation or admittance to hospital for more than 24 hours; any other injury: leading to hypothermia, heat-induced illness or unconsciousness; or requiring resuscitation; or requiring admittance to hospital for more than 24 hours; and unconsciousness caused by asphyxia or exposure to harmful substance or biological agent.
4. Warburtons Newburn has been awarded the British Safety Council International Award three years running. Accidents at the plant involving slips, trips or falls are down by over 50% and the company has seen a substantial improvement in the number of days lost as a result of an accident. For more information, contact Jessica Bowker on 01204 556 016

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Issued on behalf of the HSE by COI News and PR North East