Norwich folk urged to stay safe at work

For many of us, the idea of climbing on a ladder to clean our upstairs windows is probably enough to give us the jitters, so imagine the task of keeping The Forum's glass spick and span.

That job belongs to Norwich cleaning company Hannants Cleaning and its bosses yesterday backed a national campaign to make people aware of the dangers of slips, trips and falls in the workplace.

The Dereham Road-based company is supporting the Health and Safety Executive's Shattered Lives campaign after figures showed 541 people in Norfolk had accidents in 2008/09 as a result of slips, trips and falls in the workplace.

Of those, 183 were major accidents while the other 358 involved people being off work for at least three days.

Eddie Scoggins, principal inspector for HSE in the East of England, said: 'These figures highlight the very real and serious nature of preventable slip, trip and fall incidents in the workplace. Slips, trips and falls might sound funny, but they shatter the lives of thousands of British workers ever year.

'Making improvements need not cost the earth and we are encouraging people to visit our 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.'

Kevin Hannant, managing director of Hannants, said: 'We take working at height very seriously and whatever activities our employees are involved in, we make sure they are aware of how to carry out their work safely.

'As a family run business since 1930, this mindset has been passed down through four generations and we insist on all employees' involvement, input and awareness when it comes to work place safety, particularly as our working environment and tasks are so varied.

'I hope HSE's shattered Lives Campaign makes people think more about preventing slips, trips and falls in their workplace.'