Slips and trips in wholesale and warehousing
Main project – Slips, Trips and Building & Plant maintenance
Aim
To reduce the number of major injury slip and trip accidents within warehouses and cold stores by raising awareness and improving management of slips and trips. To provide advice on practical control measures and take enforcement action where appropriate. To educate trades, who purchase goods from wholesalers, on hazard spotting and prevention of slips and trips at work.
Justification
210 slip and trip major injury accidents occurred in warehousing and cold stores in 2006/07. In the same year, 988 construction workers and tradesmen had a slip or trip related major injury at work. Many of those tradesmen were electricians, plumbers, plasterers and carpenters who purchase products from builders merchants and wholesalers. If slips and trips at work are to be reduced and targets met, making improvements in these industries is key.
Audience/industry
Slips and trips happen in both warehouses and cold stores. Housekeeping issues and spills are most common in warehouses whilst ice build up cold stores is a common cause of slips. Recently there have been several successful prosecutions of slips in cold stores. If inspecting, focus on preventing slips in cold stores and slips and trips in warehouses.
Messages
- General - Everyone has a part to play when it comes to stopping slips and trips. Supervisors, managers and business owners need to set up effective systems for preventing slips and trips, then ensure staff are informed, trained and following those systems. Staff can make a big difference by adopting a ‘see it, sort it’ mentality.
- Building and plant maintenance - Contractors, owners, facilities & maintenance managers can effectively reduce the risk of slips and trips due to maintenance issues in and around buildings and machines.
- Good order - You can help prevent slips and trips accidents happening to your customers while they are at work.
Activities Required
- General – routine inspections and investigations following complaints or accidents. Bring employers attention to updated guidance ‘Warehousing and storage – a guide to health and safety’
- Building and plant maintenance – continue inspections to companies that manage and procure (minor) building and plant maintenance such as facility management companies and housing associations; visit building maintenance contractors and cleaning services who carry out the work and revisit particularly poor performers.
- Good order – initiative is now a couple of year old, but support materials are still relevant. Bring managers’ attention to materials.
Timing
All year.
For information
Detailed guidance on inspections:
For more information and resources visit the HSE website
