SLIPS, trips and falls in the workplace cost Kent a staggering £22.3m last year. The Health and Safety Executive recorded a total of 1,249 accidents in 2007, the majority of which take place in the construction, food manufacturing and retail industries.

The highest number of incidents occurred in Maidstone, with 171 injuries recorded. Statistically, the safest area is Gravesham with 52 accidents last year.

Below is the number of reported accidents along with the costs attributed to them. The total cost is calculated by the HSE by adding together the human cost, cost of lost output, and resource costs.

Ashford – 76 - £1,309,000

Canterbury – 89 - £1,347,500

Dartford – 108 - £1,485,000

Dover – 93 - £1,270,500

Gravesham – 52 - £913,000

Maidstone – 171 - £2,986,500

Medway Towns – 166 - £3,025,000

Sevenoaks – 61 - £962,500

Shepway – 66 - £1,314,500

Swale – 121 - £2,117,500

Thanet – 61 - £830,500

Tonbridge & Malling – 100 - £1,870,000

Tunbridge Wells – 85 - £1,391,500

Mike Walters, principal inspector for the HSE in Kent, said: “Each year slips, trips and falls cost society hundreds of millions of pounds, but what these figures don’t reflect is the extent to which these injuries affect individual workers and their families.

“They also shatter businesses through costs such as employee absence, sick pay and reduced productivity. Irrespective of the size of the business and your job, it could happen to you.”

An HSE campaign called ‘Shattered Lives’, offering support and guidance to the industries considered most at risk, has recently been launched.

It is designed to highlight “the devastating consequences of slips, trips and falls in the workplace” and the need for people to change their attitude towards hazards in the workplace.

Mr Walters said: “Slips, trips and falls can be viewed as minor, funny accidents but the effects are not. They can lead to major injuries, and a lifetime of disability or time off work and, in worst cases, fatalities.

“If you see something wrong, either sort it out yourself or, if it requires a little bit more work, report it your manager.

“These steps are so simple, but they can prevent serious injury or even death.”