The fallout from a fall: how a sudden slip could trip up your hospitality business

Slips, trips, and falls are a regular occurrence for hospitality, and the spectrum of ‘STFs’ is vast. From the occasional small bump that results in a bruise to a life-altering accident in the kitchen, this industry comes with a side order of personal perils; some of which may take a person away from the workplace for weeks, months, or even permanently.

Long-lasting damage can penetrate more than skin-deep for the person involved and the business where the incident happened. There may well be a painful recovery for the hotel, restaurant, or leisure venue involved, resulting in large insurance payouts as well as permanent scars to reputation.

In 2022,  RoSPA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents) served up information on this subject, releasing an in-depth study and stats called Slip Tripp Fall research.

In the survey, 27 per cent of decision-makers agreed that STFs were ‘just not an issue in their industry’. In addition, ten percent actively commented that bringing attention to this was either  ‘not even a thing’, or ‘a stupid idea’. And only ten per cent noted this as ‘very important’. 

There’s also huge variation in the perception of how many days are lost when a person has an STF at work. Average responses suggested one to 20 working days per year could be labelled as such a reason for not working. But with one respondent stating there’d been an excess of 100,000 hours lost to an STF and a different participant putting down 6.9 million lost hours, it’s likely to be more. 

Findings from The HSE’s (Health and Safety Executive) report for 2023 stated around 4.1 million working days are lost to non-fatal workplace injuries. This works out as 6.8 days per person per year. According to this HSE/Labour Force Survey, which also captures the causes and type of incident, there were 604,000 non-fatal injuries in the workplace from 2023/24.

There is a standout stat among all of this. The HSE’s most recent findings suggest that slips, trips, and falls cost UK employers around £500 million per year and rising.

Despite the survey respondents who stated that STFs were not an issue, we’d recommend that hospitality operators in particular don’t relegate this issue to the back of the ‘concern cupboard’.

For example, a kitchen supervisor suffers a third-degree burn that requires surgery then recovery time. There’s a strong chance of a liability claim. Sick pay is another factor, plus the cost of temporarily filling the role. Or there could be the outlay of upskilling someone within the kitchen team. There’s also time and cost involved in assessing and ensuring the space is safe for employees or non-kitchen staff. This all needs to be in accordance with the most up-to-date health and safety measures while simultaneously managing possible social media, PR leaks, and the expectations/concerns of the kitchen team.

Hospitality has seen an unprecedented rise in levels of STFs. A hot fat or grease spillage in a kitchen, could lead to an unwanted outcome; perhaps even a fall onto a hot surface. Equipment left unattended or cleaning fluids where the lid hasn’t been securely fixed are also a common cause. Catering Insight  reported 1,486 STFs as part of 4,233 overall accident reports. When including self-reporting employees, another survey from Labour Force quoted around 44,000 non-fatal incidents, with STFs making up a high proportion.

The HSE has produced a guide pinpointing culprits and causes and advising how to avoid an accident in common hospitality environments. We’d expect that employees will be your main concern, but others are at risk including visitors, delivery people, contractors, or agency staff. 

STFs aren’t just statistics; implications need to be addressed transparently, with insurers and risk management specialists pushing for more robust solutions and safeguarding processes.

During a “Risky Business” Howden podcast,  Claims Executive Barry Davies commented: “An STF is one of the most common types of claims we see…most of them are relatively low value, or appear to be low value, and I think that’s what gives people a false impression. Because they can be extremely bad.” 

Financially, the extent of ‘extremely bad’ may well be in the region of  £500 million per year for workers reaching settlements and agreeing workplace improvements following an STF.

A site assessment is also recommended, in which premises owners, managers, and operators work with a site surveyor to measure whether risk reduction is happening, or if more can be done. 

In summary, when it comes to STF avoidance, diligence and common sense are key to not adding to the numbers.

For any insurance or risk management support from Howden - trusted by HOSPA - contact Max Palmer-Jeffery, Client Relationship Manager at Howden at max.palmer-jeffery@howdeninsurance.co.uk or call 07974 253 097.