Pipes – perhaps not one of the first things you think of when it comes to dangers in the workplace. But you’d be surprised as to how many claims we have taken on and won that involve simple things like pipes in the workplace.
They can pose a real danger in the workplace – let’s look at some examples and how your employer may be in breach of important health and safety legislation.
Slips and Trips
Pipes should ideally be concealed to avoid them being a tripping or protrusion danger. The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations demand this of an employer. Regulation 12 (3) specifically addresses this by stating:
(3) So far as is reasonably practicable, every floor in a workplace and the surface of every traffic route in a workplace shall be kept free from obstructions and from any article or substance which may cause a person to slip, trip or fall.
If pipes are protruding from walls where they could come in to contact with an employee and cause an injury like a laceration, there may be a claim to answer for as well. Exposed pipes that are hot can cause a risk of burn injuries and this too needs addressing.
Pipes will often be carrying liquids, so burst or leaking pipes may naturally cause a slipping hazard. The same regulations above can apply given that the regulations address slips as well as trips and falls.
Working with Pipes
Slips and trips are the more commons scenarios; but you could be working with pipes and this could cause an accident as well. Perhaps if you are maintaining a pipe and you are not provided with suitable protective equipment like gloves or coveralls you could come in to contact with hot or dangerous substances and this can cause an injury. You could be sprayed in the eyes – a facemask would prevent such an injury in this kind of scenario.
Again we have regulations that specifically address the need for such equipment and they are The Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations. One such section reads as follows:
4. (1) Every employer shall ensure that suitable personal protective equipment is provided to his employees who may be exposed to a risk to their health or safety while at work except where and to the extent that such risk has been adequately controlled by other means which are equally or more effective.
Maybe you are lifting pipes in the workplace and they are either excessively heavy or too large and awkward to move – maybe because they’re too long. Well, we have The Manual Handling Operations Regulations that address such scenarios and they generally mean that an employer should:
- Avoid manual handling activities for employees where possible through the use of equipment
- Where it cannot be avoided, ensure the task is risk assessed and ensure there are enough adequately trained employees for the lift
There’s plenty that can go wrong, which is why there are rules and regulations to try and address any eventuality and protect employees from being injured. If your employer has failed in safeguarding you from the risks of pipe-related injuries, then call our free claims helpline on 0800 634 75 75 and we’ll see if we can help you.
