Zebra - Business Advice

Slips and Trips

Introduction

Premises and pathways

Introduction

Slips and trips are the most common cause of major injuries at work. They occur in almost all workplaces. 95% of major slips result in broken bones. They can also be the cause of a range of other accidents such as falls from height. As a result of the statistics, you can expect the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) or Environmental Health inspector to take a keen interest in safety management in this area.

An individual who slips or trips may:

suffer pain and discomfort;
lose remuneration and / or
face a reduction in the quality of their lives.

The employer also faces potential problems when an accident of this nature occurs. These may include:

downtime as the injured person is cared for;
damage to equipment and
administration and insurance matters.

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Premises and pathways

Employers must ensure that their risk assessment examines the possibility of slips and trips as they relate to areas under their control. These could be premises, pathways or just work areas, as they all will have obstructions and obstacles that could cause people to fall. You should also consider who may be harmed. Apart from your own employees, there may be visitors to the premises, other users of a shared premises, customers and members of the public. You also have a duty of care to protect trespassers who may be on your premises or using your land as a shortcut.

For a policy statement on slips and trips, please see Slips and trips policy.

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Risk assessment

Assessing the risk of slips and trips is very much a practical exercise. Take a walk around your site and premises and check:

the construction of floors and pathways, ensuring they are fit for purpose;
holes, slopes or uneven and slippery surfaces that require rectification;
the effective drainage of walkways and other surfaces;
wet processes, and machines that may splash or leak;
access and egress especially in inclement weather;
wet floors after cleaning;
loose floor tiles or floorboards;
accumulations of waste and
tools or obstructions on the floor.

Additionally you should pay particular attention to the standard of:

traffic routes;
internal and external lighting;
staircases and handrails and
footwear you supply as personal protective equipment.

Following the risk assessment, take action to rectify any discrepancies which are a high or medium risk. Monitor minor risks to ensure that they do not develop into greater risks.

Consider what practical measures you might take to combat the potential risks of slips and trips, including:

non-slip matting;
slip resistant coating on floor surfaces and
an effective cleaning and spillage regime.

For a risk assessment form which has been partially completed as a guide to the hazards and precautions likely to be identified in activities involving manual handling, please see Example risk assessment form (slips and trips). All risk assessments will differ depending on individual circumstances. The details on this form are illustrative only and should not be taken as definitive or applicable in all situations.

For a blank risk assessment form, please see Risk assessment form.

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People as a factor

Slips and trips are often caused by physical factors such as worn flooring, frayed carpets or trailing leads. However, people themselves, employees, visitors and members of the public, may also be responsible. Slips and trips may be caused by:

the level of tiredness towards the end of the day or shift;
not observing where we are going;
being in a rush to get somewhere;
inappropriate footwear and
horseplay.

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Taking action

The employer must be seen to take action by providing leadership in this and all other areas of safety and health management. You must both engage and involve your workforce in the management of slip and trip hazards, perhaps setting targets for year on year reduction of incidents. Monitor and review the actions and precautions you take to minimise risks to ensure that such measures are having the desired effect.

For guidance on preventing slips and trips, please see Step by step guide to preventing slips and trips.

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Safety signs

Wherever there is a risk to employees and others that has not been eliminated or controlled, employers are required to provide specific safety signage. This area of health and safety is one where safety signage is likely to be needed. The following safety sign is associated with this topic and may be appropriate for you to use in your business – Danger - slippery surface.

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