Slips and Trips in the Construction Industry

Investigations carried out by the Health and Safety Executive show that many construction site managers and employers do not effectively reduce the risk of slip and trip injuries posed to employees despite the fact that this type of accident causes over 1,000 major injuries on UK constructions sites every year.

In terms of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007 every contractor carrying out construction work on a site must, so far as is reasonably practicable, make sure every place of work is made and kept safe and does not pose risk to any person working there.

Moreover, so far as is reasonably practicable construction site managers and employers must provide workers with a suitable and safe means to and from every place of work and between places of work.

Every traffic route within a construction site must be properly maintained and regularly checked for hazards. Every place of work must be kept in a reasonable state of cleanliness.

The Workplace (Health, Safety, and Welfare) 1992 also applies to construction sites and imposes obligations on employers to ensure the safety of workers and specifically prevent slips and trips.

To prevent slip and trips on constructions sites the following should be considered by construction site managers and employers:

• a system to ensure walkways and stairs are free from hazards and obstructions

• flat, level and stable footpaths should be constructed were possible

• a system should be adopted to ensure waste materials are disposed of and workplaces are free from unnecessary materials

• ensure employees wear safety shoes/boots with suitable and sufficient grip

• ensure adequate lighting

The above is not an exhaustive list it is merely an example of what may be reasonably practicable under the circumstances for construction site managers and employers to do to avoid you being injured in a slipping or tripping accident.