Slips, Trips and Falls FAQs

It is the employer’s responsibility to ensure they are undertaken. Employers can designate a competent or responsible person to conduct the risk assessments.

Dealing with slips, trips, and falls involves identifying hazards, implementing controls (e.g., non-slip flooring, lighting), ensuring good housekeeping, providing safety equipment, providing slips. Trips and falls training for employees and maintaining work areas.

Example of trip hazards in the workplace include:

• External walkways uneven, slippery from leaves, moss, ice or snow.
• Objects blocking a walkway or doorway.
• Stairs contaminated with production materials.
• Untidy work areas with things like paper bins, handbags, briefcases or toolboxes.
• Inappropriate footwear
• Cables / leads trailing in walkways.

If the consequences of a slip, trip and fall accident is a reportable accident, you should use the RIDDOR reporting requirements. Find out more about reporting to RIDDOR on the HSE’s website.

During freezing temperatures or after a snowfall you should clear and grit areas where there is likely to be worker access and visitor pedestrians to your premises or workplace. You should also encourage diversions where possible and alert employees and visitors to potentially hazardous areas.

Suitable footwear is all dependent on your job and the tasks you undertake. If your job has specific PPE or footwear requirements, these should be followed. If not, you should ensure:

• Your shoes fit well and are appropriate for the tasks you undertake.
• Laces should be tied at all times.
• Care is taken on unlevel surfaces when wearing heels.
• Free from contamination such as mud or manufacturing materials.

Undertaking workplace risk assessment(s) will help identify the potential slip, trip and fall hazards, and then decide on suitable and sufficient control measures which need to be put in place.

Slips, trips, and falls are a leading cause of workplace injuries in the UK. In the 2023/24 period, they accounted for 31% of non-fatal injuries reported under RIDDOR.

According to Labour Force Survey estimates, there were 604,000 workers sustaining non-fatal injuries in 2023/24.

This suggests that approximately 187,240 workers experienced slips, trips, or falls during that period.

Slips, trips, and falls are a hazard because they are potential sources of harm in the workplace. The risk is the likelihood of someone experiencing harm due to these hazards, combined with the severity of the outcome.

• Slips: losing balance due to a lack of traction between the footwear and the walking surface (e.g., wet or oily floors, icy surfaces).
• Trips: catching a foot on an obstacle or uneven surface, causing a stumble (e.g., clutter, loose cables, uneven flooring).
• Falls: losing balance and dropping to a lower level or the ground, often caused by slips or trips (e.g., falling from stairs or platforms).

The main causes of slips, trips, and falls are:

• Slips: wet, oily, or icy surfaces; spills; unsuitable footwear; polished or slippery floors.
• Trips: cluttered walkways, loose cables, uneven flooring, poorly maintained areas.
• Falls: unprotected edges, improper use of ladders, unsafe stairs, and poor lighting.

In the 2023/24 period, 138 workers were killed in work-related accidents in Great Britain. Among these, 50 fatalities resulted from falls from a height, making it the leading cause of fatal injuries.

While specific data on fatalities caused solely by slips and trips at the same level are not detailed in the available statistics, it’s important to note that slips and trips can lead to falls from a height or other serious incidents. Therefore, addressing hazards related to slips, trips, and falls is crucial.

Preventing slips and falls is a shared responsibility.

Employers must ensure a safe workplace by conducting risk assessments, implementing controls, providing training, and maintaining the premises under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.

Employees are responsible for following safety procedures, using equipment properly, and reporting hazards.

Supervisors oversee daily operations, ensuring compliance and addressing risks effectively.

Under RIDDOR, slips, trips, or falls must be reported if they result in:

1. A fatality.
2. Specified injuries (e.g., fractures, head injuries).
3. Over 7-day incapacitation.
4. Falls from height causing injury.
5. Injuries to non-workers requiring hospital treatment.

Non-reportable incidents should still be recorded internally for safety management.

Administrative controls for slips, trips, and falls include:

• Policies: clear cleaning schedules, spill response protocols, and hazard reporting systems.
• Training: educating employees on hazard recognition and safe practices.
• Signage: warning signs for wet floors or uneven surfaces.
• Monitoring: regular inspections and prompt hazard reporting.
• Organisation: designated walkways and clutter-free spaces.

Employers can protect workers from falls by eliminating hazards, using fall prevention systems like guardrails and scaffolding, and providing fall arrest systems such as harnesses. Maintaining safe, slip-resistant surfaces is crucial.

Workers should be trained to recognise risks and use equipment correctly, with regular risk assessments ensuring hazards are addressed.

Supervision and monitoring further ensure compliance with safety protocols, creating a safer work environment.

As an employee, you are responsible for contributing to workplace safety by preventing slips, trips, and falls. This starts with following workplace safety procedures, such as using designated walkways, wearing appropriate footwear, and adhering to any specific rules set by your employer.

Maintaining a clean and organised workspace is equally important. Employees should keep their areas free from clutter, promptly clean up small hazards, and avoid actions that could create risks for themselves or others.

Another key responsibility is reporting hazards. If you notice issues such as spills, damaged flooring, or poorly lit areas, it is essential to inform your employer or supervisor so they can address the problem quickly.

This is the legislation covering slips, trips, and falls:

1. Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. Employers must ensure a safe workplace, and employees must care for safety.
2. Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. Employers must assess risks and implement controls.
3. Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992. Floors and walkways must be safe and unobstructed.
4. Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015. Requires managing fall risks in construction.
5. RIDDOR 2013. Serious incidents must be reported.

There is no specific legal height that defines a trip hazard. Employers are required to assess and address any surface irregularities that could pose a risk to workers or visitors, regardless of height.

Yes. Human factors can significantly increase the likelihood of slips, trips and falls, even where physical controls are in place.

Examples include:

• Rushing or taking shortcuts
• Using a mobile phone while walking
• Carrying items that block your view
• Fatigue or reduced concentration
• Inappropriate footwear

Distraction and complacency can reduce awareness of hazards such as wet floors, uneven surfaces or trailing cables.

Risk assessments should consider behavioural factors alongside environmental risks. Clear walkways, good housekeeping, realistic workloads and promoting safe behaviour all help reduce the human element of slip and trip incidents.

Dry cleaning is removing debris and contamination using techniques such as sweeping, vacuuming or dry mopping, rather than wet washing.

It is important because wet cleaning can temporarily create slip hazards, particularly in high footfall areas.

Using dry cleaning where suitable:

• Reduces the risk of creating a wet floor
• Minimises disruption to staff and visitors
• Helps maintain safer walking surfaces throughout the day

If wet cleaning is necessary, it should be carried out during quieter periods, and appropriate warning signage must be displayed until the surface is completely dry.

Yes, if a risk assessment shows that slip risks cannot be adequately controlled by other measures, the employer must provide suitable slip-resistant footwear.

Under the Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992, employers are required to provide appropriate PPE free of charge where risks remain after other controls have been applied.

For example, in environments such as commercial kitchens or food production areas where floors may become wet or contaminated, slip-resistant footwear may be necessary as part of the control measures.

Footwear must be suitable for the task and properly maintained, and employees must receive instruction on its correct use.

Slip resistance is usually measured using a Pendulum Test Value (PTV), which assesses how slippery a floor is under realistic conditions.

The test should be carried out by a competent, trained slip-resistance specialist, such as:

• An independent health and safety consultant
• A flooring surveyor trained in pendulum testing
• A test professional accredited or certified in slip testing methods

In some cases, flooring manufacturers or contractors may arrange testing, but for impartial results (particularly after incidents) an independent specialist is recommended.

Testing should reflect use conditions (e.g. wet or contaminated surfaces), and results should be reviewed as part of your risk assessment.

Transition zones are areas where there is a change in surface or environment, such as:

• Moving from outdoor to indoor areas
• Changes in flooring material (e.g. carpet to tile)
• Entrances to kitchens, washrooms or production areas

These areas are considered high-risk because:

• Water, mud or debris can be brought in from outside
• Different floor textures can affect grip and foot stability
• Changes in lighting or surface levels may reduce hazard visibility

To reduce risk, employers should provide adequate entrance matting, ensure effective cleaning regimes, maintain consistent lighting and clearly manage floor level or surface changes. Transition zones should be specifically assessed within the workplace risk assessment.