Health and Safety

Executive

Watch your step

Controlling slips and trips
risks at work

See it, sort it

Slips and trips are funny

Slips and trips accidents are often used in
cartoons and videos to raise a laugh, but ask
a victim if theyre funny.

Youth slipped and put hand into

deep-fat fryer - no joking matter

Source: Dudley MBC

Not a joking matter

Reported injuries to employees in GB premises

(2003/4):
11,269 majors (37% of total Major Injuries)
30,499 Over-3-days (24% of total over-3days)
Injuries can be severe:
90% of majors are fractures

Costs of slips and trips in GB

To the individual
Lost income, pain, reduced quality of life
To employers over 500m p.a.
Damages, admin. and insurance, lost
production, temporary absences
To society over 800m p.a.
Loss of potential output, medical costs,
social security.
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HSE Strategic Delivery Programme

(Fit3)

Slips and Trips Programme Plan

2005 2008
PSA Major Injury (MI) reduction target
- 3% by 2008
S&T Programme MI reduction target
- 5.1% by 2008
- i.e. 575 fewer S&T MI accidents.
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The food
sector19%
reduction in
major injury
accidents
over 6 years
Key reference
guide:
HS(G)156

Slips and Trips Programme Plan

The main messages

Slips and trips arent funny!

They should be treated seriously and in

proportion to the injuries and losses that they

cause.

Simple sensible solutions can eliminate

most of the problems, but

Personal responsibility and worker

participation are essential to make solutions

effective
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What law?

Health & Safety at Work etc. Act 1974

(HSW Act)

Workplace (Health, Safety & Welfare)

Regulations 1992 (Workplace Regs.)
Management of Health & Safety at Work
Regulations 1999 (Management Regs.)
Construction Health Safety and Welfare
Regulations 1996 (Construction HSW Regs)
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Management Regulations

Employers to assess the risks (including slips & trips

risks) to employees and others who may be affected
by their work or business

To enable identification of the measures they need to

take to comply with health & safety law

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What contributes to the slip/ trip risk?

Floor
Contamination
Obstacles

Environment
Slip/ trip
Potential
People

Footwear
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What is risk assessment?

Systematic and careful examination of things (at

work) which could cause harm to people

Evaluation of whether the controls in place are

sufficient to prevent harm

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Risk assessment - the 5 steps

1.
2.
3.

Identify the hazards

Decide who may be harmed
Evaluate the risks and decide if the existing
precautions are adequate

4.
5.

Record the significant findings

Review the assessment periodically
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The most important bit

Take remedial action when the controls are

insufficient to prevent harm

Its the ACTION as a result of the risk

assessment process that matters

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Workplace (H,S,W) Regulations

Floors/traffic routes:
To be of a construction that is suitable for
purpose
To have no hole or slope, or be uneven or
slippery so as to expose any person to a risk
to their safety
To have effective drainage where necessary
These requirements for floor construction are
all ABSOLUTE.
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Workplace Regs. cont.

So far as reasonably practicable, floors/traffic

routes to be kept free from obstructions and
substances likely to cause a person to slip,
trip or fall
Staircases to be provided with suitable and
sufficient handrails
Waste materials not allowed to accumulate,
except in suitable receptacles
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Slip hazards

Leaks, spills and splashes of liquids & solids

Wet processes
Unsuitable floors
Unsuitable footwear for floor
Rain, mud
Unsuitable entrance matting
Sloping surfaces
Wet floors following cleaning
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Risk controls
(a) floor contamination

Contamination from work activities/

environment controlled
Process plant controlled and maintained
Spillages cleaned up
Correct cleaning regime

From both liquids and solids

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Dont forget

The Workplace Regs. Approved

Code of Practice (ACOP)
Processes & plant which
discharge or leak liquids should
be enclosed
If a leak or spillage is likely to
cause a slipping hazard
immediate steps should be
taken to treat it

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Containing spillages from machines

22

Use of signs and barriers

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Risk controls (b) suitable floors

and footwear

Floors not slippery

Appropriate use of:
Mats
Anti-slip treatments/ coatings
Drainage
Grids, gratings, duckboards etc.
Required footwear slip-resistant
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Good design of steps

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Role of slip-resistant footwear

Have a sensible shoe policy

If needed as PPE, employer to provide
Challenge the supplier to provide the right shoe for
your floor/ contaminant
See HSG156 food guidance
Consider sole material, tread pattern>>>

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Features of slip-resistant soles (source:

SATRA 1997)

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Assessing slipperiness

Accident history eg slip/ trip incident map

Observation/ questioning
S&T occur often but only 1 in 40 result in
serious problems so evidence should be
easy to spot.
Smooth floors measure surface microroughness
ie like writing paper NOT sandpaper
Dynamic Coefficient of Friction (CoF)
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Measuring coefficient of friction

pendulum method

Produces correct fluid dynamics

Realistic CoF readings in wet and dry
See The assessment of pedestrian slip risk the
HSE approach slips and trips 1 - on
http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/web/slips01.pdf

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Pendulum in action dry CoF reading

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Extract
from2005
UKSRG 2005
Extract from
UKSRG
Pendulum Test Value
(PTV)
24 and below
25 to 35
36 to 65

Potential for Slip

High
Moderate
Low

PTV of 36 = CoF 0.36

UK Slip Resistance Group Guidelines available from Malcolm
Bailey, Secretary 01923 858323

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Minimum levels of surface roughness to

prevent slips from FIS 22

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The slips assessment tool (SAT)

Software-based. Operator feeds in:
Surface roughness readings
Floor type
Contamination type/ amount/ source/
recurrence
Footwear type
Cleaning regime/ frequency
Persons using floor
Environmental factors
System give slip risk factor 0-40+
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Risk controls
(c) prevention of trips

Floors even, free from holes or slopes;

Gangways well-planned and marked;
Access routes kept clear
Stairs well-constructed, with handrails
Good lighting

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Common trip hazards

Loose floor and scaffold boards / tiles

Loose and worn mats / carpets
Accumulated waste materials
Electrical & telephone socket outlets
Trailing cables, pallets, tools, etc. in
gangways

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Factors increasing the risk of

slips and trips

Moving goods carrying, pushing, pulling

Rushing about
Distractions / fatigue

43

HSE research

Testing different floorings for slipperiness in

the wet
Slipperiness test methods development
Testing slip-resistant footwear
The role of human factors in slips and trips
accidents

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Managing slips and trips :

having a good system

Planning
Key risk areas and goals
Organisation
Involvement and responsibilities
Control
Checks, records
Monitor and Review
Accident and inspection reports
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Managing slips and trips contd./

Simple measures can give quick returns. Some
pointers:
Ensure S & T included in risk assessment
Prompt reporting and follow-up of leaks
Operate a clean as you go policy
Allocate responsibilities for cleaning up
Get workforce buy in to these
Consider a campaign to reduce S & T>>>>
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Requirements for a successful

campaign

Backing from the top

Good preparation and communication
Workforce involvement and commitment, eg in:
Preparing briefing materials
Risk assessments
Accident/ near miss investigations
Targets/ monitoring
Perseverance

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Further advice and guidance

Workplace health, safety and welfare ACOP and

guidance L24
Slips and trips guidance for employers on identifying
hazards and controlling risks HSG155
Preventing slips and trips at work INDG 225 rev1 (free
leaflet)
HSE free information sheets: Food nos. 6 and 22,
Catering no. 6, Education no. 2, Health Services no. 2,
Slips and trips the importance of floor cleaning slips
and trips 2
HSE Stop Slips video
See www.hse.gov.uk/slips/index.htm

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Summary

Slips and trips are NOT a trivial matter

Risks need to be actively managed
Include S & T specifically in risk assessment
Involve the workforce
Solutions can be cheap and simple, but
must.
Maintain standards through.
Monitoring, audit, review
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