Slips, trips and falls

Your legal responsibility

As an employer, you have a legal duty to protect everyone in your workplace from slips, trips and falls. You must regularly check for hazards such as wet or uneven floors, poor lighting, or cluttered walkways, and take action to prevent accidents. This means keeping floors clean and dry, repairing any damage quickly, providing suitable footwear where needed, and training your staff to spot and report risks. This obligation includes any modification, extension or conversion which is under your control and where any of your employees work.

You should also carry out regular inspections and maintenance. If you fail to manage these risks properly and someone gets hurt, you can be held legally responsible.

Which laws apply?

• The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974
• The Health and Safety at Work (Northern Ireland) Order 1978
• The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999
• The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2000
• The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992
• The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1993

Risk assessments

Carry out the 5-step approach to risk assessments, paying close attention to anything that could cause slips and trips. You should take into account not just your employees, but also visitors and members of the public accessing the workplace.

Reducing risk

Consider the following risks and ways to remove or reduce them.

Wet and dry substances spills

Clean up wet and dry substances spills immediately. If a liquid is greasy, make sure a suitable cleaning agent is used. Use signs to warn people that cleaning is in progress and ensure there's a clear pathway that people can use to avoid the area. Consider cleaning during quiet times when pedestrians aren't around.

Obstacles and waste materials

Pathways must be kept clear with no trailing wires or obstructions. Employees must have enough storage space to allow them to keep their workstation clear of obstructions. All rooms used by staff or the public must be kept tidy with goods suitably stored. Waste materials should be cleared and enough bins placed in convenient spots must be available.

Floors, stairs and walkways

The floor in a workplace must be suitable for the type of work activity taking place on it. It must be in good condition and free from obstructions. People must be able to move around safely.

If there are holes in the flooring, use signs and barriers redirecting traffic to keep employees safe until its fixed. Where a floor is sloping and this can't be fixed, install handrails, where possible, without causing further obstruction. Loose finishes, worn rugs and mats should be fixed or replaced immediately.

Stairs should have high visibility, non-slip material on the step edges, a suitable handrail and steps of equal height and width.

Measures must also be taken to prevent slips and trips on walkways where ice, snow or wet conditions may cause hazardous conditions.

Lighting

Ensure lighting is sufficient for pedestrians to safely negotiate all floors and stairs. Too much or too little light could prevent people from seeing hazards. Provide suitable emergency lighting where needed so rooms and walkways remain safe during a power cut.

Unsuitable footwear

Ensure employees wear suitable footwear, with soles designed to cope with transitions from wet to dry floor surfaces.

If you introduce a slip resistant shoe policy, the footwear will be considered protective equipment and will be subject to the requirements of the Personal Protective Equipment regulations. You'll have to give these to employees for free.

Windows, and transparent or translucent doors, gates and walls

Where there is a risk to health or safety, clear or partly clear surfaces (such as windows, doors, or partitions) must be made of safety glass or protected from breaking and clearly marked so they're easily seen. These measures aren't required where no risk exists.

All workplace windows and skylights must be designed so they can be cleaned safely, taking into account any cleaning equipment or built-in safety features.

Doors and gates

Doors and gates must be properly built and fitted with any necessary safety devices. This means that sliding doors or gates must have a device to stop them coming off their tracks while in use, and upward-opening doors or gates must have a device to prevent them from falling back. Where necessary for health or safety, powered doors or gates should also be capable of manual opening in the event of a power failure, unless they open automatically.

Doors or gates that can be pushed open from either side must allow a clear view of both sides when closed. Where there is a risk of doors opening onto people, viewing panels should be fitted..

Escalators and moving walkways

Escalators and moving walkways must operate safely, be fitted with any necessary safety devices, and have one or more emergency stop controls that are easy to see and reach.

Falling objects or falling from heights

Take appropriate measures to prevent anyone from falling from a height or being struck by falling objects, and provide personal protective equipment where necessary to safeguard workers.

Additionally, any tanks or pits containing hazardous substances must be securely covered or fenced off to prevent people from accidentally falling into them.

Individual behaviour

Make people aware of their own actions. For example, a person can be distracted from seeing or thinking about where they're going because, for example, they were rushing about or carrying large objects. This can increase the risk of an accident.

Disabled persons in the workplace

Where needed, parts of the workplace - such as doors, passageways, stairs, showers, washbasins, toilets, and workstations - that are used or occupied by disabled workers must be arranged to accommodate their needs.

Responsible people

You should involve employees in helping to reduce risks:

• Make people (e.g. supervisors) responsible for certain areas or tasks, e.g. cleaning spillages quickly, keeping access routes clear or ensuring lighting is maintained.
• Keep a record of who is responsible for which arrangements and hand it out to all relevant employees.