OHS REPS @ WORK

Slipping, tripping or falling at the workplace can lead to serious injuries.  The employer has a duty of care to provide and maintain a safe and healthy workplace - all potential hazards must be identified, the associated risk assessed and then controls introduced to eliminate or reduce those risks as far as practicable.

Action Plan for OHS Reps

Step 1: Understand the causes of slips, trips and falls, and using both workplace inspections and discussions with your fellow workers, identify whether these hazards are present in your workplace. Consider using a mapping exercise to do this (see the UK's retail union guide - see below).

Step 2: Assess the risks

Step 3: Meet with the employer to ensure that action is taken to eliminate these risks. If this is not possible, then options to reduce the risk must be discussed.

Common causes of slips

• inappropriate floor surface - e.g. smooth, shiny tiles in a wet area
• slippery floor surfaces - e.g. oily, icy, wet or dusty
• poor housekeeping - e.g. spills not cleaned up immediately
• inappropriate or sudden changes in floor surfaces
• inappropriate drainage - e.g. liquid and waste from machinery leaking onto floors
• inappropriate footwear

Common causes of trips

• poor housekeeping - e.g. objects left in corridors, cluttered work spaces
• poorly maintained floor - e.g. cracked concrete or tiles, frayed or lifted carpets
• low, unseen objects - e.g. electrical cords, boxes, stock, pallets, packing material
• view obstructed due to carrying of objects
• uneven surfaces or changes in floor levels
• poorly lit stairwells
• inadequate storage areas
• passage or walkways being used for storage

Common causes of falls

• poor systems of work - e.g. using ladders or chairs to access high storage areas, climbing down ladders while carrying objects, unsafe loading or unloading of vehicles
• view obstructed due to carrying of objects
• loading docks and mezzanine storage areas with no fall protection
• uneven surfaces or changes in floor levels
• poorly maintained and dimly lit stairwells
• poor access to storage racking

There are many things that the employer could do to reduce the risk of slips, trips and falls. A few examples are:

• modify practices that cause spills and ensure spills are cleaned immediately. This means ensuring staff have enough time to do this.
• provide staff with appropriate footwear - e.g. low heel with good tread
• treat floors to increase slip resistance - e.g. acid etching, grooving or coating
• provide adequate lighting and signage
• improve storage at the workplace
• remove tripping hazards like cords, etc by installing additional powerpoints or taping cords out of the way; etc
• minimise changes in floor levels - e.g. if levels must change, use a ramp rather than steps and provide handrails
• provide staff with a trolley or other mechanical aid to carry objects which may obscure their vision apply high visibility paint and edge strips to mark changes in floor levels provide adequate lighting and signage in stairwells and other hazard areas

See Also:

• From WorkSafe Victoria:
  • Retail - according to WorkSafe, 'Slips are the most common cause of injury in the retail sector but are the easiest to prevent'.  This page has information and a useful checklist that while designed specifically for those who work in the retail sector, can easily be modified for use in any workplace.
  • Prevention of Falls – Ladders a 6 page brochure intended to illustrate practical methods of reducing the likelihood of injuries from falls, both above and below two metres. The publication covers risk assessment, examples of acceptable ladder use, correct use, and ladder maintainance
  • The VWA Falls Prevention website, for more information including on the regulations and publications including Basic Steps to Preventing Falls from Heights.
    
    
• The Victorian Department of Education and Training (DET) also has a webpage on Slips/Trips/Falls.  From there you can download posters, Compliance guidelines and also a kit, Stay on your feet . The kit explores fall prevention management, developing falls prevention strategies, and has a number of checklists and handouts.
  
  
• NSW WorkCover has a useful Safety Guide Portable Ladders which provides advice on the safe use of all types of ladders, and includes references to relevant Australian Standards.
  
  
• From Workplace Health and Safety Queensland, Guide to preventing slips, trips and falls [pdf] (2007)
  
  
• From WorkSafe WA, a bulletin: Slips, trips and falls in the café and restaurant industry
  
  
• From the UK retail union, USDAW Risk mapping for slips and trips guide [ pdf] - developed by the union for its safety reps to use risk maps to tackle the problem of workplace slips and trips.
  
  
• The UK Health and Safety Executive has a webpage, Slips and Trips. The site has a 'Slip assessment tool' (SAT) which can be used in all workplaces, and there are also a number of booklets which can be downloaded, such as Preventing slips, trips and falls at work [ pdf]. There are other leaflets which apply to specific industries (such as catering, education, etc) which can be downloaded from the Information section of this page.  Some useful publications include: 
• Preventing slips and trips at work  [pdf]
  
• a guide for health and safety reps Working feet and footwear [pdf] that states that workers should be able to wear the footwear that is appropriate to their occupation, working environment, and feet.
• Procuring slip-resistant footwear for use at work which includes advice on soles, walking surfaces and testing for slip resistance 
• Work at height guidance for schools Best practice guidance - practical solutions to common tasks, such as hanging displays.