Slips, trips and falls

Slipping, tripping or falling at the workplace can lead to serious injuries. The employer has a duty of care to provide and maintain a safe and healthy workplace - all potential hazards must be identified, the associated risk assessed and then controls introduced to eliminate or reduce those risks as far as practicable. Action Plan for OHS Reps Step 1: Understand the causes of slips, trips and falls, and using both workplace inspections and discussions with your fellow workers, identify whether these hazards are present in your workplace. Consider using a mapping exercise to do this (see the UK's retail union guide - see below). Step 2: Assess the risks Step 3: Meet with the employer to ensure that action is taken to eliminate these risks. If this is not possible, then options to reduce the risk must be discussed. Common causes of slips -inappropriate floor surface - e.g. smooth, shiny tiles in a wet area -slippery floor surfaces - e.g. oily, icy, wet or dusty -poor housekeeping - e.g. spills not cleaned up immediately -inappropriate or sudden changes in floor surfaces -inappropriate drainage - e.g. liquid and waste from machinery leaking onto floors -inappropriate footwear

Common causes of trips -poor housekeeping - e.g. objects left in corridors, cluttered work spaces -poorly maintained floor - e.g. cracked concrete or tiles, frayed or lifted carpets -low, unseen objects - e.g. electrical cords, boxes, stock, pallets, packing material -view obstructed due to carrying of objects -uneven surfaces or changes in floor levels -poorly lit stairwells -inadequate storage areas -passage or walkways being used for storage

Common causes of falls -poor systems of work - e.g. using ladders or chairs to access high storage areas, climbing down ladders while carrying objects, unsafe loading or unloading of vehicles -view obstructed due to carrying of objects -loading docks and mezzanine storage areas with no fall protection -uneven surfaces or changes in floor levels -poorly maintained and dimly lit stairwells -poor access to storage racking

There are many things that the employer could do to reduce the risk of slips, trips and falls. A few examples are: -modify practices that cause spills and ensure spills are cleaned immediately. This means ensuring staff have enough time to do this. -provide staff with appropriate footwear - e.g. low heel with good tread -treat floors to increase slip resistance - e.g. acid etching, grooving or coating -provide adequate lighting and signage -improve storage at the workplace -remove tripping hazards like cords, etc by installing additional powerpoints or taping cords out of the way; etc -minimize changes in floor levels - e.g. if levels must change, use a ramp rather than steps and provide handrails -provide staff with a trolley or other mechanical aid to carry objects which may obscure their vision apply high visibility paint and edge strips to mark changes in floor levels provide adequate lighting and signage in stairwells and other hazard areas