Floor Safety Tips: Reduce Slip, Trip and Fall Risks at Work

Workplace floor safety refers to the methods used to prevent slips, trips and falls. It’s not a legal term, but it relates to your statutory duties as an employer or manager (which we’ll cover in more detail).

It involves assessing and managing the conditions of floors, walkways and any other surfaces employees walk on to reduce the risk of slipping, tripping or falling. Floor safety practices include everything from installing the right type of flooring material to cleaning up spilt drinks.

Floor safety is critical because slips, trips and falls are the leading cause of workplace injuries, according to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

They account for almost a third (32%) of all non-fatal accidents, nearly doubling the next most common accident type (unsafe manual handling). And when these accidents happen, the injuries are severe.

The HSE records workplace accidents that result in a minimum seven-day absence or an injury specified in the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR). Specified injuries are always severe; think lacerations, broken bones or loss of consciousness.

The majority of slips, trips and falls are recorded because they caused one of these specified injuries, which means that when workers do lose their balance, they’re likely to suffer serious harm. And if this harm was a result of negligence, you could face legal action from the HSE as well as compensation claims from the injured employee.

In the UK, several key legal instruments outline your responsibilities regarding workplace welfare, including floor safety:

• Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HSWA): This act places a broad legal duty on employers to ensure the health and safety of their workers and the public.
• The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999: These regulations require employers to conduct assessments to identify work risks (including risks of slips, trips and falls) and implement measures to control them.
• The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992: These regulations specifically address workplace maintenance. They state that floors and walkways should be kept in good condition and free from obstructions so people can move around their workplaces safely.

If you don’t comply with these regulations, your workplace will be unsafe. Workers (or members of the public) will be put at avoidable risk, and you’ll have to eventually answer to the HSE.

Preventing slips, trips and falls in the workplace is an essential part of risk management. By following these floor safety tips, you’ll reduce the chance of accidents and help ensure compliance with the relevant regulations.

We assume you’ve already conducted a workplace risk assessment as part of your legal duties. However, it’s essential to revisit your findings regularly. Have you thoroughly considered the risks of slips, trips and falls?

These risks are often overlooked during assessments because most slips, trips and falls don’t result in injury. Everyone loses their footing occasionally. Usually, people catch themselves before hitting the ground or walk away with nothing more than a bruised ego. But, as the statistics show, when slips, trips and falls do hurt, the injuries are severe.

By specifically focusing on these hazards, you can ensure that your risk assessment is comprehensive and that appropriate measures are in place to prevent accidents.

Slip, trip, and fall mapping is an effective way to complement your risk assessment and visualise where accidents are happening in your workplace.

Start by reviewing your accident log to identify where slips and trips have historically happened. Plot these incidents on a map of your workplace to reveal accident hotspots.

Have you covered these areas in your risk assessment? Do you know why accidents are happening and how they can be prevented?

Cleaning is crucial for maintaining a safe workplace, but improper methods can introduce new hazards, notably wet floors, a common cause of slips.

To minimise risks, schedule cleaning during off-hours or use quick-drying solutions where possible. Ensure that wet floor signs are always used and clearly visible. Additionally, review your cleaning products and techniques to ensure they’re appropriate for the flooring in your workplace.

Employees also have health and safety responsibilities. They must take reasonable care of themselves and follow agreed-upon policies (such as respecting “wet floor” signs).

Similarly, employees should follow your housekeeping rules. Set expectations for tidy workspaces and ensure all employees have the necessary resources and training to stow items, dispose of rubbish and clean messes properly.

Enforcing these expectations ensures that walkways remain free of clutter, spills and other slip, trip and fall hazards.

Regular maintenance is good practice and a legal requirement under the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992.

Regularly inspect floors and walkways for wear, damage or hazards like loose tiles or uneven surfaces. Encourage employees to report these issues, too.

Be sure to follow up as quickly as possible. A speedy resolution is safer and proves to workers that you take their health and safety seriously, which encourages their buy-in.

Training is essential to ensuring that all employees understand how to prevent slips, trips and falls.

Under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, employers are legally required to provide adequate training on health and safety risks, including those related to floor safety. Regular training sessions help reinforce good practices, such as proper housekeeping and safe cleaning procedures.

• Regularly review and update your risk assessment to ensure slip, trip and fall hazards are adequately addressed.
• Map out accident hotspots to visualise where risks are concentrated and take targeted action to prevent incidents.
• Use safe cleaning methods and schedule them strategically to avoid creating new hazards.
• Enforce good housekeeping practices and keep up maintenance.
• Provide training to help keep your workplace safe and compliant with regulations.

Investing in training is a crucial step in creating a safer workplace.

Our online Slips, Trips and Falls Training course equips your employees with the knowledge they need to identify and address hazards. This awareness reduces the risk of accidents and helps ensure your compliance with health and safety regulations.

Don’t wait for an accident to happen. Make floor safety a priority and train your staff to prevent the leading cause of workplace accidents.