Slips and trips

What causes slips and trips

Slip and trip accidents can happen for a number of reasons, but all too frequently we jump to conclusions about why they happen rather than really looking for the true cause or, we decide that it is just one of those things and do nothing.

The following should help you to understand what causes a slip or trip and give you some ideas on what you can do to stop accidents from happening again. What you may find is that there are a number of options open to you that are quite straightforward and relatively easy to implement.

The diagram below is the slip and trip potential model. The bubbles highlight the main factors that can play a part in contributing to a slip or trip accident. One or more may play a part in any situation or accident. Click on each bubble for more information

Flooring

• The floor in a workplace must be suitable for the type of work activity that will be taking place on it.
• Where a floor can't be kept dry, people should be able to walk on the floor without fear of a slip despite any contamination that may be on it. So it should have sufficient roughness. 
• The floor must be cleaned correctly to ensure that it does not become slippery or keeps its slip resistance properties (if a non slip floor)
• The floor must be fitted correctly
  • to ensure that there are no trip hazards
  • to ensure that non slip coatings are correctly applied
• The floor must be maintained in good order to ensure that there are no trip hazards e.g. holes, uneven surfaces, curled up carpet edges
• Ramps, raised platforms and other changes of level should be avoided, if they can’t they must be highlighted

Stairs should have:

• high visibility, non slip, square nosings on the step edges
• a suitable handrail
• steps of equal height
• steps of equal width

Contamination

Most floors only become slippery once they become contaminated. Prevent contamination and you reduce or even eliminate the slip risk.

Contamination can be classed as anything that ends up on a floor e.g. rainwater, oil, grease, cardboard, product wrapping, dust etc. the list is endless. It can be a by-product of a work process or be due to adverse weather conditions. If product ends up on the floor it is costing the company money.

First think about whether you can eliminate the problem, e.g.

• Fit effective canopies to external entranceways to stop rainwater from entering a building · Fix leaking machines
• Change the system of work

If not, can the contamination be controlled e.g.: -

• drip trays for leaks
• lids on cups and containers
• good sized mats at building entrances to dry feet

If you are relying on the floor to be good enough to cope with the contamination and still be non-slip you need to remember that the more viscous (the thicker) the contamination the rougher a floor needs to be in order for slips not to happen. 

Working at Height

Working at height remains one of the biggest causes of fatalities and major injuries. Common cases include falls from ladders and through fragile roofs.  

Work at height means work in any place, including at or below ground level (for example in underground workings), where a person could fall a distance liable to cause injury.

This section shows how employers can take simple, practical measures to reduce the risk of any of their workers falling while working at height.

Case study

What do I have to do?

You must make sure that all work at height is properly planned, supervised and carried out by people who are competent (someone who has the skills, knowledge and experience) to do the job. This must include the use of the right type of access equipment.

To prevent or minimise risk when planning for work at height, consider what needs to be done and take a sensible, risk-based approach to identify suitable precautions.

Control measures

There is a simple hierarchy of control measures (as described below) which you should follow to minimise the risk of a fall from height. The hierarchy should be followed systematically and only when one level is not reasonably practicable may the next level be considered.

Those in control of the work need to:

• avoid work at height where they can
• use work equipment to prevent falls where work at height cannot be avoided
• where the risk of a fall cannot be eliminated, use work equipment to minimise the distance and consequences of a fall if one occurs
• always consider measures that protect all those at risk, ie collective protection measures (scaffolds, nets, soft landing systems) before measures that only protect the individual, ie personal protection measures (a harness)

Dos and don’ts of working at height

Do….

• make sure the surface/access equipment in use is stable and strong enough to support the worker’s weight and that of any equipment. Any edge protection should be wide enough and strong enough to prevent a fall
• as much work as possible from the ground or partly from the ground, for example assemble structures on the ground and lift them into position with lifting equipment
• take precautions when working on or near fragile surfaces, eg an asbestos cement roof, to prevent a fall or to minimise the distance and consequences in the event of a fall
• ensure workers can get safely to and from where they want to work at height and also consider emergency evacuation and rescue procedures
• make sure everyone involved is competent to do the work they are responsible for, including those who plan and organise it
• choose the most appropriate equipment for the type of work being done and how often it will be used
• provide protection from falling objects
• make sure equipment used for work at height is well maintained and inspected regularly

Don’t…

• overload ladders – the person and anything they are taking up should not exceed the highest load stated on the ladder
• overreach on ladders or stepladders – keep your belt buckle (navel) inside the stiles and both feet on the same rung throughout the task
• use ladders or stepladders if the nature of the work is deemed to be ‘heavy’ or if the task will take longer than thirty minutes or so to complete
• use ladders if workers cannot maintain three points of contact (hands and feet) at the working position. If this is not possible, consider an alternative safe system of work
• let anyone who is not competent (someone who doesn’t have the skills, knowledge and experience to do the job) carry out work at height