Icy conditions cause rise in accidents at university

Background: A university in the North of England noted a considerable rise in the number of slip accidents among their staff and pupils. The most affected people were the staff members who arrived on the campus early in the morning, such as catering and cleaning staff.

Problem: The university grounds staff had originally de-iced and salted the campus late on the evening prior to forecast frosts as well as early the next morning. To reduce labour costs the University decided to limit the grounds staff to work during school hours only. As a result of this action the numbers of serious accidents soon increased.

Solution: By allowing the grounds staff to return to their original working patterns the slip & trip accidents on all main pathways have stopped.

Top Tip: Salt needs time to dissolve so gritting is best done early in the evening before frost settles.