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Slip, trip and fall incidents in the workplace cost 40 employees their lives in 2008-09, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has revealed.
The HSE figures show that slips and trips are the most common cause of major workplace injury in UK, and cost society an estimated £800m each year.
As well as the 40 fatalities, more than 10,000 employees suffered a major injury as a result of a slip or trip at work in 2008-09. More than 4,000 employees suffered a major injury as a result of a fall from height.
The figures emerged as the HSE launched a new phase of its Shattered Lives campaign, aimed at reducing slips, trips and falls in the workplace.
The campaign is targeted at those sectors where there is a high number of accidents each year, including health and social care, education, food manufacturing, food retail, catering and hospitality, building and plant maintenance, and construction.
TUC general secretary Brendan Barber, said: "Every one of the 40 deaths caused by slips, trips and falls were preventable. The key is proper risk assessment and control measures as highlighted by the HSE. Unions will warmly welcome this practical, hard-hitting campaign and will be raising the issue with employers wherever and whenever they can."
