Risky business

Nobody can predict accidents in the workplace, warns Phil Grace. However, he argues, what can be prevented is uneccessary risks being taken, to reduce the likelihood of serious injury and financial loss

It is an obvious fact that accidents cost money. However, what is not obvious is who knows exactly how much they cost and who pays? The answer, in short, is everybody: employers, employees, insurance companies and society as a whole.

Employers' liability insurance was not in force in the 1890s when one of the most common causes of accidents was boiler explosions. Although by the 1950s accident numbers had reduced considerably, the causes of accidents were still obvious and clear for all to see -