Part 1 — Slips, trips and falls

Part 1 of 6 of Preventing slips, trips and falls at work.

This is page 1 in a series of 6 that comprise the Preventing slips, trips and falls at work.

Slips, trips and falls can happen:

when entering, exiting or moving around a workplace
at an employee’s usual workplace or another place of work such as a client’s worksite.

A fall or loss of balance on the same level is commonly caused by slips, trips or missteps — this is also known as a slip, trip or fall at level. Slips, trips and falls often result in sudden and/or high impact on the body and can result in serious and permanent injuries to employees.

Slips

Slips occur when there is not enough traction, contact, grip or friction between a person’s foot or shoe and the walking surface, which can lead to a loss of balance.

Trips

Trips happen when a person’s foot or lower leg get caught on an object while walking and throws them off balance.

Missteps

Missteps can happen when a person unexpectedly steps down to a lower surface, for example because they have not seen a bottom step. A misstep can happen when a person steps partially beyond the edge of an unseen change in the walking surface — resulting in a loss of balance.

Other hazards

Other related hazards that can cause more serious injuries include losing balance near items that are:

hot, for example, a deep fryer
sharp, for example, knives
hard, for example, the edge of a table
a hazardous substance, for example, chemicals
at height, for example, top of stairs
next to mobile plant, for example, a forklift or vehicles in car parks.

Loss of balance and no fall

A loss of balance without actually falling can still cause serious injuries. For example, the speed and force of the slip and the effort to regain balance, can cause significant musculoskeletal back injury.

Factors that can influence the risk of slips, trips and falls

Slips, trips, and falls are caused by a mix of things, both in the environment and related to human behaviour. Environmental issues like poor lighting, uneven surfaces, and wet floors create hazards, while human factors like being distracted, rushing, or wearing the wrong shoes can increase the risk of a fall.

Psychosocial hazards can also increase the risk of a slip, trip or fall. For example, high job demands may result in rushing and fatigue, resulting in a slip, trip or fall.

Understanding how these factors potentially interact together and contribute to slips, trips and falls is key to effectively preventing incidents and consistent with obligations under the OHS Act. This guide describes factors that contribute to slips, trips and falls and how to prevent the related risk due to these factors.

Work design

Work planning is essential for a safe workplace. It allows for the identification and elimination of potential hazards before work begins, reducing the risk of accidents and injuries. Consider:

load handling
attentional demands
time pressures to complete tasks and the pace of work
production demands and incentives
interaction between employees and their activities
scheduling and deliveries.

Slips, trips and falls risk management

Identifying and assessing hazards

It is important to identify and assess slips, trips and falls hazards to know exactly where, when, and how they can happen at the workplace. You should:

consult with employees, supervisors and health and safety representatives (HSRs) — they can give valuable information about slips, trips and falls incidences, near miss’s or potential hazards
regularly inspect the workplace for hazards and assess the location again when there has been a change, for example, moving onto the next phase of construction or following installation of new flooring.
use the Preventing slips, trips and falls under 2 metres checklist as an inspection and assessment tool
map a layout of the work area, marking where incidents or hazards have been reported or identified
review records such as incident and injury reports, employees’ compensation claims, previous inspection reports and information from other work units, similar businesses and industry sectors.

Use this information to assess the risks. Prioritise what needs to be addressed.

Consider the following factors to assess risks and prioritize what needs to be fixed first.

How many people could be affected by each risk?
How often the situation occurs?
The consequences of the slip, trip or fall.

Plan for safe access and movement

Provide safe access and movement at the workplace. Consider and plan for:

workplace layout
floor surface
trip hazards
outdoor hazards
stairs and ramps
containing contaminants.

Maintain a safe working environment that allows safe access and movement. Ensure safe access with:

maintenance
cleaning
housekeeping
weather planning.

Ensure any hazards are detectable and visible. Proper lighting and minimizing distractions are crucial for detecting workplace hazards and preventing accidents. Distractions can divert attention from potential dangers.

Control the risk

Consider your risk assessment and decide what needs to be done to eliminate or reducing all risks, so far as is reasonably practicable.

Put in place measures to provide consistent and safe entry, exit and movement around the workplace, including in an emergency.

Effective risk management includes:

following the hierarchy of control a system for controlling risks in the workplace — a step-by-step approach to eliminating or reducing risks, it ranks risk controls from the highest level of protection and reliability through to the lowest and least reliable protection
identifying all risks and eliminating each of them, or if not reasonably practicable, reducing all of them
actioning effective short-term measures without delay, if eliminating risks immediately is not possible
consulting employees, health and safety representatives and others such as cleaning contractors about the problem and ways to reduce risks
allowing employees to trial risk controls and share their feedback before making a final decision
supporting the new risk controls with updated work procedures and training
reviewing risk controls and if necessary, updating them to ensure they are effective.

Monitor and review

Monitor and review risk controls regularly. Ensure the controls are working effectively to eliminate or reduce risks. Risk controls must be reviewed if:

there is an incident
there is a near miss
there is a reported injury
new information about a hazard is available
changes to equipment, work processes, or the work environment have occurred
controls are not effective
controls are no longer appropriate
new hazards are identified
if consultation shows a review is necessary
a HSR requests a review of a risk control measure to check its effectiveness.