This slips, trips, and falls training PowerPoint defines and covers the various ways that slips, trip and falls can occur, how to prevent them, and the OSHA regulations regarding their prevention.

1. SLIPS, TRIPS & FALLS

2. Objectives
■ The financial burden of slips,
trips, and falls.
■ Definition of each.
■ The main causes of slips, trips,
and falls.
■ Potential risk factors.
■ How to prevent or minimize slips,
trips, and falls.

3. Financial Burden of Slips, Trips,
and Falls
■ The potential for slips, trips, and
falls to occur can be lurking
anywhere in your company.
■ Slips or trips are factors in a fall,
which can seriously injure or kill a
worker.
■ Slips, trips, and falls are not only
painful, deadly and a burden to
employees, but they’re a huge
financial burden on employers as
well.

4. ■ To the employer:
– Loss of productivity and business
– Increased industrial insurance premiums
– Costs associated with training a replacement worker
■ To the worker:
– Lost wages and out-of-pocket medical expenses
– Pain
– Temporary or permanent disability
– Reduced quality of life
– Depression
– Death
Consequences of Slips,
Trips, and Falls

5. Slip, Trip, and Falls: Injuries
and Typical Sites
Typical Injuries:
• Sprains and strains
• Bruises, bumps and contusions
• Fractures
• Abrasions and lacerations
Typical Injury Sites:
• Knee, ankle and/or foot
• Wrist and/or elbow
• Back and/or shoulder
• Hip
• Head

6. Definitions
Slip
When there’s too little friction
or traction between feet
(footwear) and walking/working
surface, resulting in loss of
balance.
Trip
When your foot or lower leg
hits and object and upper body
continues moving, resulting in
loss of balance.
Stepping down to lower
surface and losing balance.
Fall
Occurs when you’re too far off center of
balance. Two types:
Fall at same level- fall to same
walking, or working surface, or,
fall into or against, objects
above same surface.
Fall to lower level- fall to level
below walking or working
surface.

7. Causes of Slips
■ Wet product or spills on
smooth floors or walking
surfaces
– Water
– Mud
– Grease
– Oil
– Food
– Blood
– Offal
■ Dry product or spills making walking
surface slippery
– Dusts
– Powders
– Granules
– Wood
– Plastic wrapping
■ Highly-polished floors can be
slick even when dry
– Concrete
– Marble
– Ceramic tile
– Polished wood floors
■ Freshly-waxed surfaces
■ Transitioning from one surface
to another
– Carpeted to vinyl
– Grid to smooth concrete

8. Causes of Slips
■ Sloped walking surfaces
■ Loose, unanchored rugs or mats
■ Loose floorboards or shifting tiles
■ Wet, muddy or greasy shoes
■ Ramps & gang planks without skid- or slip-resistant surfaces
■ Metal surfaces
– Dockboards & dock plates
– Platforms
– Sidewalk & road covers
■ Mounting & dismounting vehicles & equipment
■ Climbing ladders
■ Loose, irregular surfaces such as gravel
■ Sloped, uneven or muddy terrain
■ Weather hazards
■ Leaves, pine needles & other plant debris (wet or dry)

9. Causes of Trips
■ Hoses, cables, wires or extension cords across aisles or
walkways
■ Clutter, obstacles in aisles, walkways or work areas
■ Open filing cabinet or desk drawers
■ Sudden changes in elevation or levels
– Unmarked steps or ramps
■ Rumpled, folded, or rolled-up carpets/mats or carpets with
curled edges
■ Inconsistencies in walking surfaces
– Thresholds or gaps
■ Missing or uneven floor tiles and bricks

10. Causes of Trips
■ Uneven, sudden, or damaged steps
■ Debris, or other strewn materials
■ Cables, pallets, or tools in pathways
■ Obstacles in or on walking surfaces
■ Uneven walking surfaces
■ Sidewalk curb drops
■ Ramps and curbs

11. Environmental Risk
Conditions
of Trips & Slips■ Dim lighting
■ Glares from reflective surfaces
■ Shadows/darkness
■ Large, bulky PPE such as improper footwear.
■ Excessive noise or temperatures
■ Foggy or misty weather conditions
■ Poor safety housekeeping
■ Improper cleaning methods & products
■ Inadequate or missing signs, cautions,
warnings.

12. ■ Failing eyesight or failing visual perception.
■ Age
■ Physical condition & fatigue
■ Stress or illness
■ Medications, alcohol & drug effects
■ Carrying or moving heavy objects or too many objects at
one time
■ Not paying attention to surroundings or being distracted
while walking.
■ Taking unapproved shortcuts
■ Being in a hurry and rushing
Human Risk Factors in Trips &
Slips

13. How to Prevent Slips, Trips, and
Falls■ The overall operation of the workplace and work processes:
– Design workplaces and processes to prevent potential
exposures to slip and trip hazards.
■ Good housekeeping:
– Maintain clear, tidy work areas free of clutter, obstructions, and
items on the floor.
■ Safe walking practices:
– Follow safe walking practices and routes such as being
attentive, and watching rough or uneven surfaces.
■ Wearing proper footwear:
– Wear proper footwear with good traction.
■ If you’re about to fall, try falling “properly”:
– There are certain techniques that can minimize fall injuries.

14. Workplace/Work Process
Design■ Contain work processes to prevent discharge, splatter, or
spillage of liquids, oils, particles, dusts & off the floor.
– Local exhaust ventilation
– Extraction/collection systems
– Enclosures
– Work surfaces with raised or lipped edges
– Catch/drip pans, drain-offs
■ Use drip trays to contain leaks of lubricant onto floor from
machinery.
– Perform regularly scheduled maintenance.
■ Use proper and adequate ventilation to avoid smoke, steam and
condensation of water and grease onto the floor.
■ Provide adequate lighting to keep work areas, aisles and ways
well lit.

15. Workplace/Work Process
Design■ Mark/highlight step edges & transition areas or changes in
elevations.
– Use anti-skid paint, slip-resistant coatings & strips
■ Make sure stairs have sufficient lighting & hand rails
■ Provide effective drainage, false floors or work platforms.
■ Ensure slip-resistant floors in high risk areas.

16. OSHA’s Regulations
29 CFR 1910 Subpart D

17. Housekeeping
■ All places of employment shall be
clean and orderly and in a
sanitary condition.
– Workrooms clean & dry.
– Platforms, mats, or other dry
places to stand for wet
processes.

18. Aisles
■ Sufficient safe clearance shall be
maintained where mechanical
handling equipment is used.
■ Aisles and passageways kept
clear and in good repair.
■ No obstruction across, or in, aisles
that could create a hazard.
■ Permanent aisles and
passageways shall be
appropriately marked.

19. Floor Openings
■ Every stairway floor opening shall guarded by a standard railing.
■ Railings shall be provided on all exposed sides, except at the entrance
to the stairway.
■ Every ladderway floor opening or platform shall be guarded by a
standard railing with standard toeboard on all exposed sides (except
at entrance to opening), with the passage through the railing either
provided with a swinging gate or so offset, that a person cannot walk
directly into the opening.
■ Where operating conditions necessitate the feeding of material into
any hatchway or chute opening, protection shall be provided to
prevent a person from falling through the opening.
■ Every pit and trapdoor floor opening, infrequently used, guarded by a
floor opening cover of standard strength and construction.

20. Floor Openings
■ While the cover is not in place, the pit or trap opening must be
constantly attended by someone, or protected on all exposed sides by
removable standard railings.
■ Every temporary floor opening shall have standard railings, or shall be
constantly attended by someone.
■ Every floor hole into which persons can accidentally walk shall be
guarded by either:
– A standard railing with standard toeboards on all exposed sides, or
– A floor hole cover of standard strength and construction. While the
cover is not in place, the floor hole shall be constantly attended by
someone or shall be protected by a removable standard railing.

21. Wall Openings
■ Every wall opening from which
there is a drop of more than 4 feet
shall be guarded by one of the
following:
– Rail, roller, picket fence, half door,
or equivalent barrier.

22. Open-sided Floors
■ Every open-sided floor or platform 4 feet or more shall be guarded on
all open sides except where there is entrance to a ramp, stairway, or
fixed ladder.
■ The railings shall be provided with a toeboard wherever, beneath the
open sides,
– Persons can pass,
– There is moving machinery, or;
– There is equipment with which falling materials could create a hazard.
– All open-sided floors, walkways, platforms, or runways above or
adjacent to dangerous equipment, shall be guarded with a standard
railing and toe board.

23. Stairways
■ Every flight of stairs having four or more risers shall be
equipped with standard stair railings or standard handrails.

24. Railings
■ A standard railing consists of a top rail, intermediate rail, and
posts.
■ They shall have a vertical height of 42 inches nominal from
upper surface of top rail to floor.
■ The top rail shall have a smooth-surfaced.
■ The ends of the rails shall not constitute a projection hazard.
■ A stair railing shall be not more than 34”, nor less than 30” from
upper surface of top rail to surface of tread in line with face of
riser at forward edge of tread.

25. Railings
■ Wood railings, and posts shall be at least 2’ by 4’.
■ Posts should be equal to or more than 6’.
■ Rails, at least 2’ by 4’.
■ Pipe railings at least 1 ½” nominal diameter.
■ Posts spaced not more than 8’ on centers.
■ For structural steel railings
– Posts and top and intermediate rails 2 by 2 by 3/8 inch angles
– Posts spaced not more than 8 feet on centers.
– The completed structure shall be capable of withstanding a load
of at least 200 pounds applied in any direction at any point on
the top rail.

26. Railings
■ The railing structure shall be capable of withstanding a load of
at least 200 pounds applied in any direction at any point on the
top rail.
■ A standard toeboard shall be 4 inches nominal in vertical
height.
■ All railings shall be securely fastened and;
■ Not more than a quarter inch clearance above floor level.
■ Openings shall not be over one inch.
■ Where material is piled to such height that a standard
toeboard does not provide protection, paneling from floor to
intermediate rail, or to top rail shall be provided.

27. Fixed Stairs
■ Fixed stairs should be provide for regular travel between levels; and where
access to elevations is daily.
■ They should also be provided for work around acids, caustics, gases, or
other harmful substances.
■ The minimum width of fixed stairs is 22 inches.
■ All steps should have treads that are reasonably slip-resistant and the
nosings shall be of nonslip finish.
■ Rise height and tread width shall be uniform throughout any flight of stairs
including any foundation structure used as one or more treads of the stairs.
■ Stairway platforms shall be no less than the width of a stairway, and a
minimum of 30 inches in length measured in the direction of travel.
■ Standard railings shall be provided on the open sides of all exposed
stairways and stair platforms.
■ Handrails shall be provided on at least one side of closed stairways
preferably on the right side descending.

28. Portable Ladders
■ All parts of the ladder should be free from sharp edges and places that
could splinter;
■ Ladders should pass a visual inspection
■ Stepladders should be 20' max.
■ Single ladders should be 30' max.
■ The top-most rung of a stepladder should not be used as a step.
■ Ladders should never be placed in front of doors unless the door in
blocked, locked, or guarded.
■ Ladder should be maintained in good condition at all times.
■ Locks, wheels, pulleys of the ladder should be frequently lubricated;
ensure that the lubrication does not get on the rungs or sides.
■ All worn rope should be replaced.
■ The safety feet and the ladder auxiliary equipment should be in good
shape.

29. Portable Ladders - Inspection
■ Inspect all ladders frequently
for defects.
■ If a ladder has a defect,
place it out of service and be
sure to indicate that it’s not
usable by placing a sign on
it.