Slips & Trips
Background
Slips and trips are a very common occurrences but are easy to prevent. It is very important to try and prevent these form occurring as they can cause a variety of injuries, concussion and even death.
Causes of Slips & Trips
There are a variety of causes of slips and trips:
- Slippery and/or uneven surfaces
- Moving at inappropriate speeds
- Wearing inappropriate footwear
- Poor visibility
- Carrying items that block your view of pathways or stairs
- Cluttered pathways and cords
- Distractions, for example, reading a book or using a mobile phone whilst walking
Avoiding Slips & Trips
There are some very easy ways to avoiding slipping and tripping:
- Move carefully over surfaces that are slippery and/or uneven, or avoid them entirely
- Look ahead
- Use handrails on stairs
- Wipe your shoes if they get wet or muddy
- Ensure you don’t leave objects lying on the floor or cables across walkways
- Report any dangerous areas such as poorly lit staircases, floor coverings that have lifted up or damaged/uneven walkways
- Wear appropriate footwear
- If walking where there is poor lighting, take a torch
- If you see a spill on a floor, clean it up
Contact for Further Information
UNE Work Health and Safety (WHS) Team: whs@une.edu.au
For a print version to display on WHS Notice Boards please click here.