Managing trip hazards in your office

Don’t let your standards slip

Slips, trips and falls are the most common causes of injuries in an office environment, leading sometimes to long-lasting pain or loss of pay.

Taking precautions can help you eliminate these kinds of injuries in your workplace.

What to do to stop slips, trips and falls

Keep floors clear

An obvious start is to keep areas where people frequently walk clear from hazards that may cause a slip, trip or fall. This could include:

• Having a secured doormat so that people don’t track water or debris into the building that people could slip on.
• Keep walkways free from litter or clutter.
• Ensure that electrical leads are neatly tied together and kept away from walkways.
• Clean up spills immediately. If this isn’t possible, place a warning sign that there is a slip hazard.
• Use signage to warn people in areas that might have just been cleaned and may still be wet.
• Fix uneven flooring and place signs that warn of the hazard.

Establish a safe working environment

Using the right equipment to perform duties or tasks will help to keep everyone in your office safer whilst working.

• Use appropriate equipment such as a ladder to reach high places instead of boxes, chairs or desks.
• Make sure that carpets are in good condition with no bulges or excessive wear and tear.
• Replace broken lightbulbs as soon as possible to avoid dimly lit areas where hazards may be hidden.
• Install handrails in areas that could be difficult to walk on, such as stairs.
• If available, your team should only carry heavy items in a lift.
• Only use designated walking areas and try to avoid electrical equipment or storage areas.
• Consider installing mirrors on blind corners to minimise the potential of your team walking into each other.
• Try and have windows on your doors so that people can see what is on the other side and won’t go through too quickly.
• Encourage your team to walk through the building rather than running.

Staying vigilant

Adopt a mentality of “see it, sort it”, where a hazard will be removed straight away. This could be putting down wet floor signs or moving a trip hazard as soon as you see it, so by acting immediately, you will be helping to prevent workplace injury.