Slips, trips & falls

Slips, trips and falls at the same level

Unlike falls when working at heights (common within construction and manufacturing industries), incidents involving Slips, Trips and Falls (STF) at the same level, can happen in any workplace, at any time. These incidents occur when a person loses balance on the same level, often due to slips, trips or missteps.

Slips and trips together with the resulting falls may lead to:

Musculoskeletal disorders (sprains, strains or other soft tissue injuries)
Back injury due to the sudden and forceful impact during a fall
Permanent long-term injuries/impairments
Burns if it occurs near hot surfaces or if the person is handling hot fluids
Cuts if it occurs near sharp objects.

Causes of slip, trips and falls

	Slips	occur when there is too little friction or traction (loss of grip) between footwear and the walking surface leading to loss of balance.
	Trips	occur when a person’s foot hits a low obstacle in the person’s path, causing a loss of balance and a likely fall. Often, the obstacle is not easily visible or noticed.
	Falls	occur due to slips, trips or loss of balance leading to an uncontrollable descent to the ground from the same level or a height.
	Misstep	commonly occur when a person unexpectedly steps down to a lower surface, such as missing a bottom step, or steps partially beyond the edge of an unseen change in the walking surface, resulting in a loss of balance.

STF incidents usually involve a combination of multiple and interacting contributing factors rather than a single cause (Figure 1).

Factors that contribute to the risk of STF can influence directly (e.g. poor lighting) or indirectly (e.g. poor planning resulting in lack of designated walkways). Understanding how these factors potentially interact together and contribute to STF is key to effectively preventing incidents.

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Figure 1 – Factors that influence the risk of slips trips and falls at the same level

The guide to preventing slips, trips and falls at work provides further guidance on each specific factor to helps you understand and manage the risk.

Some of the common sources of risk within indoor environments that could lead to STF include:

contaminants or spills (liquids, water, grease, oil, dust or paper)
uneven floor surfaces,
changes to flooring/traction types (concrete to carpet)
sloping surfaces, ramps
poorly maintained floor surfaces, i.e. worn carpet
cleaning products/methods that results in slippery floor surfaces
cluttered or inadequate space to perform tasks
inadequate lighting in the work areas
lack of appropriately marked walkways, edges or steps
poor colour contrast between changes in surface heights, steps and stairs.
loose cords and cables
lack of or inappropriate use of aids/equipment to reach items or products stored at a height.

Other common sources of risk in outdoor environments may include:

poor lighting when exiting and entering vehicles
weather conditions
footwear is inappropriate for environmental conditions
uneven ground surfaces, holes and cracks
uneven or inconsistent step heights
plant growth or other contaminants (grass, moss, lichen)
pets and other animals

In addition to the working environment, it is also important for a person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) to consider and minimise the individual, organisational factors, which may contribute and increase the likelihood of a STF incident occurring, these may include factors such as:

load handling which obstructs vision
distractions (mobile phones/tablet, displays, flashing lights, noise)
high workload demands and time management (rushing, taking shortcuts)
poor planning, scheduling and coordination of work activities
poor communication of work procedures

Managing slips, trips and falls risks

The way to prevent slips, trips and falls injuries in your workplace is to develop a risk management approach to identify all relevant factors which may be obvious and those that are not so evident, so that action is taken towards what needs to be addressed in the most effective way.

Use the following information, together with the slips, trips and falls risk management tool and incident worksheet.

Identifying and assessing hazards

Identifying hazards is the first step to determine exactly where slips, trips and falls can or have occurred in your workplace. You can find out this information by:

- talking to workers and supervisors about potential STF hazards

- regularly inspecting the premises where STF could occur

- reviewing records such as incident and injury reports

- sketching or mapping a layout of the work area and marking on it where STF incidents or potential hazards.

Use this information to assess the risk and prioritise wat needs to be addressed by considering:

how many people are exposed
the consequences of the slip, trip or misstep
how often the situation occurs.

It is important to have a look at all the risk factors so that the solution properly addresses the risks.

Controlling the risk

Look at the assessed risks and decide what needs to be done to eliminate or reduce the risks and how quickly these control measures need to be implemented. Think beyond a short-term solution and consider how people can safely move around the workplace, including in an emergency.

When seeking solutions:

use the hierarchy of control to guide you choose the solution that most effectively eliminates or minimise the risk
consult workers and other relevant parties such as cleaning contractors about the problem and ways to make the most appropriate changes
solutions may involve a single control measure or a combination of two or more different controls to best address the risk.

To implement the most effective controls you should:

allow workers to trial controls and get their feedback before decisions are made to make them permanent
develop work procedures to ensure that controls are understood and responsibilities are clear
communicate the reasons for the change to workers and others
ensure that any equipment used is properly maintained
provide training to ensure workers can competently implement the risk controls.

Figure 2 provides examples of solutions based on the hierarchy of control. For further detailed controls, refer to ‘guide to preventing slips, trips and falls at work’

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Figure 2. Hierarchy of controls for slips trips and falls

Monitor and review

Control measures that have been put in place must be monitored and reviewed, and, if necessary, revised to make sure they work as planned.

You should review control measures:

when the control measure is no longer effective
before a change that is likely to create a new or different risk
if a new hazard is identified
if consultation indicates a review is necessary
if a health and safety representative requests a review.

Refer to the web guidance for advice on managing the issues that contribute to risk including contamination, cleaning, floor surfaces, housekeeping, obstacles, environment, people and activity, external areas, footwear and design considerations.