Workplace safety checklist: Slips, trips and falls

Accidents at work vary from business to business, but slips, trips and falls account for nearly a quarter of workplace injuries, according to WorkCover NSW. Use this checklist to help minimise the hazards in your workplace associated with these incidents.

Identify potential hazards

Some of the main causes of slips, trips and falls are uneven floor surfaces, steps, poor lighting and wet floors. Walk around your workplace and see if any of these apply. For example, are there any areas that become especially slippery when they are wet? Knowing the causes of accidents will help you identify hazards in the workplace.

Floor coverings

Mats are a great way to cover tiled areas that can become slippery when wet. However, ensure they are not a trip hazard. Look at how easy or hard it is for the ends of the mat to flip over or curl, whether they are suitable for high traffic areas and how slippery they are when wet.

Steps

While it’s not possible to eliminate steps from the workplace, ensuring they are well lit can help prevent staff tripping over them. If ceiling light is not adequate, consider installing lights on the wall and/or signs to alert people about the step.

Footwear

Adequate non-slip footwear is essential to prevent slipping, especially for kitchen staff. Ensure your staff are wearing the right footwear for their job, which may mean purchasing them yourself. The cost of the shoes could save you money from insurance claims and lawsuits in the event of an accident.

Tidiness

Clean work spaces are less prone to accidents and are less likely to attract vermin or cause illness than messy areas. If equipment and other items are left lying around, rather than tidied away in cupboards, they could also become hazardous to staff walking through those areas. Ensure you make it a policy that spills are cleaned up straight away and workspaces are kept as clean and tidy as possible.

Cables

Cables running along the floor of your workplace can pose a massive hazard. If your problem is a lack of power outlets, consider installing more. Alternatively, you can easily secure cable cords along the walls of your workplace instead of the floor.

Have mops on hand

Spills in the workplace will inevitably occur, so having mops close by means quick cleaning is easier. Place them close to areas where spills often happen and ensure all staff know where they are. Also make sure you have ‘wet floor’ signs that can be placed at the site of spills.

Training

Training staff in occupational health and safety (OH&S) – now known as workplace health and safety (WHS) – is key to minising hazards. It will not only help educate them on how to deal with hazards, but also how to spot one before it becomes a problem. It’s also important to maintain an ongoing, open dialogue on issues of safety and to ensure safety procedure manuals and other relevant documents are easily accessible to all staff. Getting insight from a qualified workplace safety advisor can help ensure you’re communicating the latest information.

Slips, trips and falls can be a costly expense for your business. Ensure you and your staff know how to identify them and how to fix them so your business can operate accident free.

If your business is well prepared to head off hazards before they start, a workplace safety inspection will be no problem. Find out what to expect from a safety inspection at your business.