Tips for Tackling Slips and Trips…

• The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 (HSW Act)
• The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999
• The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992

The HSW Act requires employers to ensure those employees, visitors and anyone who may be present in the workplace to be exposed to minimal risk, as far as is practicably possible.  Slips and trips are the most common cause of injury at work and account for over half of all reported injuries so it makes sense to control any risk to your employees, visitors and ultimately your organisation.

To prevent accidents you have to think about what causes them in the first place and you must then manage the health and safety risks in your workplace. To do this you need to carry out risk assessments – it is something you are required by law to carry out.

Consider what risks in your workplace may lead to slip or trip injuries, and decide what suitable and effective control measures will prevent these types of accidents. You can do this by asking your employees what they think the hazards are, as they may notice things that are not obvious to you and may have some good ideas on how to control the risks.

Look after Shop Floors by:

• Using entrance matting
• Ensuring leaks from machinery or buildings are fixed
• Maintaining plant and equipment
• Use pedestrian and vehicle routes to a avoid any spillages or contaminated areas

Are you using the correct cleaning methods?

• Are your cleaning methods effective for the type of floors you have?
• When you are cleaning ensure you don’t add more slips and trips
• Exclude pedestrians until all cleaned floors are dry
• Remove spillages immediately – or segregate area
• Ensure you have a procedure in place to deal with routine cleaning and spills

Check the flooring and work environment

• Check there is no loose, damaged or worn flooring and REPLACE as required to prevent slips and trips
• Check the floors that are likely to get wet or have spillages are of a type that does not become unduly slippery – make your workforce aware of this.
• Check that your lighting is sufficient to ensure visibility of slopes and steps and/or uneven flooring
• Ensure walkways and work areas are clear of obstructions

Have you provided the correct footwear?

• Where you cannot be sure that floors can be kept clean and dry you should ensure that slip-resistant footwear prevent slip accidents is provided and tested and provided free of charge to all employees

Organisational Factors

• Can work be organised to avoid overcrowding, trailing cables, rushing around
• Ensure employees are involved in decisions on Health & safety that affect them
• Ensure employees have input to the type of footwear or cleaning methods
• Ensure good signage in all areas where slips and trips can affect them and make results of risk assessments known to the workforce