Watch your step Controlling slips and trips risks at work See it, sort it

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Watch your stepControlling slips and trips
risks at workSee it, sort it
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Slips and trips are funny

• Slips and trips accidents are often used in
  cartoons and videos to raise a laugh, but ask a
  victim if theyre funny.

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Youth slipped and put hand into deep-fat fryer No
Joking Matter
Source Dudley MBC
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Not a joking matter

• Reported injuries to employees in GB premises
  (2003/4)
• 11,269 majors (37 of total Major Injuries)
• 30,499 Over-3-days (24 of total over-3-days)
• Injuries can be severe
• 90 of majors are fractures

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Costs of slips and trips in GB

• To the individual
• Lost income, pain, reduced quality of life
• To employers over 500m p.a.
• Damages, admin. and insurance, lost production,
  temporary absences
• To society over 800m p.a.
• Loss of potential output, medical costs, social
  security.

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HSE Strategic Delivery Programme (Fit3)

• Slips and Trips Programme Plan 2005 2008
• PSA Major Injury (MI) reduction target
• - 3 by 2008
• ST Programme MI reduction target
• - 5.1 by 2008
• - i.e. 575 fewer ST MI accidents.

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The food sector achieved a 19 reduction in major
injury accidents over 6 years Key reference
guide HS(G)156
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ST Programme Plan -The Main Messages

• Slips and Trips arent funny!
• They should be treated seriously and in
  proportion to the injuries and losses that they
  cause.
• Simple sensible solutions can eliminate most of
  the problems, but
• Personal responsibility and worker participation
  are essential to make solutions effective

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What law?

• Health Safety at Work etc. Act 1974
• (HSW Act)
• Workplace (Health Safety Welfare) Regulations
  1992 (Workplace Regs.)
• Management of Health Safety at Work Regulations
  1999 (Management Regs.)
• Construction Health Safety and Welfare
  Regulations 1996 (Construction HSW Regs)

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Management Regs.

• Employers to assess the risks (including slips
  trips risks) to employees and others who may be
  affected by their work or business
• To enable identification of the measures they
  need to take to comply with health safety law

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What contributes to the slip/ trip risk?
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What is risk assessment?

• Systematic and careful examination of things (at
  work) which could cause harm to people
• Evaluation of whether the controls in place are
  sufficient to prevent harm

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Risk assessment - the 5 steps

1. Identify the hazards
2. Decide who may be harmed
3. Evaluate the risks and decide if the existing
   precautions are adequate
4. Record the significant findings
5. Review the assessment periodically

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The most important bit

• Take remedial action when the controls are
  insufficient to prevent harm
• Its the ACTION as a result of the risk
  assessment process that matters

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Workplace Regs.

• Floors/traffic routes
• To be of a construction that is suitable for
  purpose
• To have no hole or slope, or be uneven or
  slippery so as to expose any person to a risk to
  their safety
• To have effective drainage where necessary
• These requirements for floor construction are
• all ABSOLUTE.

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Workplace Regs. cont.

• So far as reasonably practicable, floors/traffic
  routes to be kept free from obstructions and
  substances likely to cause a person to slip, trip
  or fall
• Staircases to be provided with suitable and
  sufficient handrails
• Waste materials not allowed to accumulate, except
  in suitable receptacles

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Slip hazards

• Leaks, spills and splashes of liquids solids
• Wet processes
• Unsuitable floors
• Unsuitable footwear for floor
• Rain, mud
• Unsuitable entrance matting
• Sloping surfaces
• Wet floors following cleaning

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Risk Controls(a) Floor contamination

• Contamination from work activities/ environment
  controlled
• Process plant controlled and maintained
• Spillages cleaned up
• Correct cleaning regime
• From both liquids and solids

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Dont forget

• The Workplace Regs. Approved Code of Practice
  (ACOP)
• Processes plant which discharge or leak liquids
  should be enclosed
• If a leak or spillage is likely to cause a
  slipping hazard immediate steps should be taken
  to treat it

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Containing spillages from machines
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Use of signs and barriers
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Risk Controls (b) Suitable Floors and Footwear

• Floors slip-resistant
• Appropriate use of
• Mats
• Anti-slip treatments/ coatings
• Drainage
• Grids, gratings, duckboards etc.
• Required footwear slip-resistant

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Good design of steps
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Role of slip-resistant footwear

• Have a sensible shoe policy
• If needed as PPE, employer to provide
• Challenge the supplier to provide the right shoe
  for your floor/ contaminant
• See HSG156 food guidance
• Consider sole material, tread patterngtgtgt

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Features of slip-resistant soles (source
SATRA 1997)
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Assessing Slipperiness

• Accident history eg slip/ trip incident map
• Observation/ questioning
• ST occur often but only 1 in 40 result in
  serious problems so evidence should be easy to
  spot.
• Smooth floors measure surface micro-roughness
• ie like writing paper NOT sandpaper
• Dynamic Coefficient of Friction (CoF)

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Measuring Coefficient of Friction Pendulum
Method

• Designed to imitate heel impact
• Produces correct fluid dynamics
• Realistic CoF readings in wet and dry CoF of at
  least 0.36 needed
• HSE-preferred method

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Pendulum in action dry CoF reading
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Minimum levels of surface roughness to prevent
slips from FIS 22
.  
.
.
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The Slips Assessment Tool (SAT)

• Software-based. Operator feeds in
• Surface roughness readings
• Floor type
• Contamination type/ amount/ source/ recurrence
• Footwear type
• Cleaning regime/ frequency
• Persons using floor
• Environmental factors
• System give slip risk factor 0-40

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Risk Controls(c) Prevention of Trips

• Floors even, free from holes or slopes
• Gangways well-planned and marked
• Access routes kept clear
• Stairs well-constructed, with handrails
• Good lighting

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Common trip hazards

• Loose floor and scaffold boards / tiles
• Loose and worn mats / carpets
• Accumulated waste materials
• Electrical telephone socket outlets
• Trailing cables, pallets, tools, etc. in gangways

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Factors increasing the risk of slips and trips

• Moving goods carrying, pushing, pulling
• Rushing about
• Distractions / fatigue

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HSE research

• Properties of metal and engineered wood floors in
  the wet
• Slipperiness test methods
• Identifying slip-resistant footwear
• The role of human factors in slips and trips
  accidents

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Managing slips and trips having a good system

• Planning
• Key risk areas and goals
• Organisation
• Involvement and responsibilities
• Control
• Checks, records
• Monitor and Review
• Accident and inspection reports

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Managing Slips and Trips contd./

• Simple measures can give quick returns. Some
  pointers
• Ensure S T included in risk assessment
• Prompt reporting and follow-up of leaks
• Operate a clean as you go policy
• Allocate responsibilities for cleaning up
• Get workforce buy in to these
• Consider a campaign to reduce S Tgtgtgtgt

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Requirements for a successful campaign

• Backing from the top
• Good preparation and communication
• Workforce involvement and commitment, eg in
• Preparing briefing materials
• Risk assessments
• Accident/ near miss investigations
• Targets/ monitoring
• Perseverance

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Further Advice and Guidance

• Workplace health, safety and welfare ACOP and
  guidance L24
• Slips and trips guidance for employers on
  identifying hazards and controlling risks HSG155
• Preventing slips and trips at work INDG 225 rev1
  (free leaflet)
• HSE free information sheets Food nos. 6 and 22,
  Catering no. 6, Education no. 2, Health Services
  no. 2, Cleaning and its impact on slips and trips
• HSE Stop Slips video
• www.hse.gov.uk/slips/index.htm

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Summary

• Slips and trips are NOT a trivial matter
• Risks need to be actively managed
• Include S T specifically in risk assessment
• Involve the workforce
• Solutions can be cheap and simple, but must.
• Maintain standards through.
• Monitoring, audit, review