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Slips Trips and Falls Prevention and Housekeeping Risk Assessment

Slips Trips and Falls Prevention and Housekeeping Risk Assessment

  • • 100% Compliant with Australian WHS Acts & Regulations
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Slips Trips and Falls Prevention and Housekeeping Risk Assessment

Product Overview

Identify and control organisational risks associated with Slips, Trips and Falls Prevention and Housekeeping at a management and systems level, ensuring robust planning, governance and resourcing across your operations. This Risk Assessment supports WHS Act compliance, demonstrates Due Diligence, and helps protect your business from enforcement action, claims and operational liability.

Risk Categories & Hazards Covered

This document assesses risks and outlines management controls for:

  • WHS Governance, Policies and Legal Compliance: Assessment of overarching WHS policies, legal obligations, and executive due diligence in relation to slips, trips, falls and housekeeping standards.
  • Organisational Roles, Responsibilities and Accountability: Clarification of PCBU, officer, manager, supervisor and worker responsibilities for maintaining safe access ways, floor conditions and housekeeping controls.
  • Risk Management and Hazard Identification Systems: Management of formal risk assessment processes, hazard reporting tools and systematic identification of slip, trip and fall exposures across all work areas.
  • Workplace Layout, Design and Engineering Controls: Evaluation of facility design, workflow, storage locations, lighting and engineering controls to minimise congestion, trip hazards and unsafe traffic routes.
  • Housekeeping Standards and Cleanliness Programs: Development of cleaning schedules, waste management systems, spill response arrangements and inspection routines to maintain consistently high housekeeping standards.
  • Materials, Tools and Equipment Management: Protocols for safe storage, cable and hose management, placement of trolleys and mobile plant, and selection of equipment that reduces slip and trip risks.
  • Floor Surfaces, Contamination and Slip Resistance: Assessment of floor surface types, gradients, drainage, contaminants (water, oils, powders) and the adequacy of slip-resistant finishes and treatments.
  • Access, Egress and Traffic Management: Management of walkways, stairways, ramps, loading areas, pedestrian/vehicle interaction, signage and emergency egress to prevent slips, trips and falls.
  • Contractor and Subcontractor Management: Controls for ensuring contractors follow site housekeeping rules, manage their own slip and trip hazards, and integrate with organisational WHS systems.
  • Training, Induction and Worker Competency: Requirements for induction content, refresher training, task-specific instruction and competency verification related to slips, trips, falls and housekeeping expectations.
  • Inspection, Monitoring and Assurance Activities: Implementation of formal inspection programs, housekeeping audits, safety walks and performance indicators to verify control effectiveness.
  • Incident, Near Miss Reporting and Investigation: Systems for capturing, analysing and learning from slip, trip and fall events, including root cause analysis and corrective action tracking.
  • Change Management and Project Planning: Integration of slip, trip and fall risk considerations into refurbishments, layout changes, new equipment installations and project planning processes.
  • Worker Consultation, Participation and Culture: Engagement of Health and Safety Representatives, safety committees and workers to build a proactive culture around housekeeping and hazard reporting.
  • Health, Fitness for Work and Human Factors: Consideration of fatigue, footwear, vision, mobility, task design and human factors that influence the likelihood and severity of slips, trips and falls.

Who is this for?

This Risk Assessment is designed for Business Owners, Officers, Safety Managers and Facilities Managers responsible for organisational control of slips, trips, falls prevention and housekeeping across their workplaces.

Hazards & Risks Covered

Hazard Risk Description
1. WHS Governance, Policies and Legal Compliance
  • • Absence of a documented slips, trips and falls prevention policy aligned to WHS Act 2011 and WHS Regulations
  • • Inadequate integration of housekeeping and trip hazard management into the overall WHS management system
  • • Senior management not visibly accountable for housekeeping and slip/trip performance
  • • Lack of alignment between company policies and Australian Standards or industry codes of practice
  • • No clear organisational expectation to eradicate tripping hazards rather than merely work around them
2. Organisational Roles, Responsibilities and Accountability
  • • Unclear allocation of responsibilities for identifying and eradicating trip hazards
  • • Supervisors not held accountable for maintaining tidy and obstruction-free work areas
  • • No designated person responsible for monitoring housekeeping standards across sites
  • • Workers assuming that others (e.g. cleaners, subcontractors) will remove materials on the ground and tile spacers
  • • Inconsistent enforcement of housekeeping rules between departments and shifts
3. Risk Management and Hazard Identification Systems
  • • No formal process to systematically identify slip, trip and fall hazards across the workplace
  • • Failure to identify and record recurring trip hazards from tile spacers, tools and materials left on the ground
  • • Risk assessments focusing only on high-risk work, ignoring everyday slips and trips from messy environments
  • • Outdated or inadequate risk registers that do not capture housekeeping system failures
  • • Lack of competency in conducting risk assessments for slips, trips and falls
4. Workplace Layout, Design and Engineering Controls
  • • Poor workplace layout that encourages storage of materials and tools in walkways
  • • Inadequate space allocation for material laydown and waste, leading to cluttered floors
  • • Uneven surfaces, changes in level, loose tiles or damaged flooring creating trip points
  • • Inadequate design of stairs, ramps and transitions between floor types
  • • Lack of engineered solutions for cable management and hose routing
5. Housekeeping Standards and Cleanliness Programs
  • • Inadequate housekeeping standards resulting in build-up of debris, offcuts, tools and tile spacers on the ground
  • • No structured cleaning program for high-traffic or high-risk areas
  • • Reliance on individuals to voluntarily keep areas tidy without systems support
  • • Failure to promptly remove spills, dust, adhesives and residues that increase slip risk
  • • Overfilled bins and waste areas causing overflow into walkways
6. Materials, Tools and Equipment Management
  • • Uncontrolled storage of materials, tile spacers, tools and equipment on the ground or in walkways
  • • Poorly planned material deliveries leading to congestion and ad hoc storage
  • • No defined system for temporary storage of work-in-progress materials close to the job front
  • • Inadequate management of pallets, packaging and offcuts creating trip and fall hazards
  • • Unsecured tools and equipment on elevated surfaces creating drop or fall-to-same-level risks
7. Floor Surfaces, Contamination and Slip Resistance
  • • Inappropriate or low slip-resistant floor surfaces in wet or contaminated areas
  • • Build-up of water, oils, adhesives, grout, dust or mud increasing slip potential
  • • Failure to promptly identify and manage new slip hazards arising from works such as tiling or cleaning
  • • Inadequate specification or maintenance of floor finishes, coatings and sealers
  • • Use of temporary floor coverings, cords or protection sheeting that bunch, wrinkle or curl
8. Access, Egress and Traffic Management
  • • Obstruction of emergency exits, stairs and designated walkways with tools, equipment and materials
  • • Poorly defined pedestrian routes through active work areas leading to exposure to trip hazards
  • • Inadequate lighting in corridors, stairways, external areas and temporary work zones
  • • Improper use of temporary access solutions such as makeshift steps, ramps or platforms
  • • Unmanaged interface between vehicles, mobile plant and pedestrian routes contributing to rushed movement and slips or trips
9. Contractor and Subcontractor Management
  • • Subcontractors leaving tools, tile spacers and materials scattered on floors in shared areas
  • • Inconsistent housekeeping standards between contractors and the principal contractor
  • • Lack of contractual requirements regarding slip, trip and housekeeping expectations
  • • Poor supervision of subcontractor work fronts, leading to unmanaged trip and fall hazards
  • • Failure to coordinate multiple trades resulting in congested, messy environments
10. Training, Induction and Worker Competency
  • • Workers not trained to recognise systemic trip and fall risks beyond their immediate task
  • • Induction programs not addressing slips, trips and housekeeping expectations in sufficient detail
  • • Supervisors lacking skills to enforce housekeeping standards and manage messy environments
  • • New starters and labour hire workers unaware of site-specific trip hazards and reporting processes
  • • Over-reliance on PPE without underpinning system and engineering controls
11. Inspection, Monitoring and Assurance Activities
  • • Irregular or superficial inspections that miss developing trip and fall risks
  • • No structured monitoring of compliance with housekeeping programs and standards
  • • Corrective actions for identified trip hazards not tracked through to completion
  • • Failure to analyse inspection data to identify systemic issues such as recurring tile spacer or tool-related trips
  • • Over-reliance on incident reports instead of proactive verification activities
12. Incident, Near Miss Reporting and Investigation
  • • Under-reporting of slips, trips and near misses due to perception that they are minor
  • • Inadequate investigation of incidents leading to failure to address underlying system causes
  • • Focus on worker behaviour rather than design, housekeeping systems and supervision
  • • Lack of feedback to workers on outcomes of investigations and corrective actions
  • • Repeat incidents involving the same type of trip hazard (e.g. tools or tile spacers on the floor) due to poor learning processes
13. Change Management and Project Planning
  • • Introduction of new work processes (e.g. tiling, refurbishment, maintenance) without assessing slip and trip implications
  • • Temporary works creating cluttered and messy environments not captured in planning
  • • Uncontrolled changes to layout, storage areas or access routes leading to unexpected trip hazards
  • • Short timeframes and schedule pressure reducing focus on housekeeping and hazard eradication
  • • Failure to update risk assessments and housekeeping plans following significant change
14. Worker Consultation, Participation and Culture
  • • Workers not consulted on practical ways to minimise slips and trips in their specific work areas
  • • Poor safety culture leading to acceptance of messy environments as normal
  • • Reluctance to challenge unsafe housekeeping practices of peers or subcontractors
  • • No formal mechanism to raise and resolve systemic housekeeping issues
  • • Limited worker involvement in developing and reviewing housekeeping procedures
15. Health, Fitness for Work and Human Factors
  • • Fatigue, distraction or rushing increasing the likelihood of slips and trips, especially in cluttered environments
  • • Pre-existing musculoskeletal or balance conditions making workers more vulnerable to falls from tripping over materials
  • • Inadequate consideration of vision requirements and use of corrective lenses in low-light or complex environments
  • • Work organisation leading to congestion of people and tasks in small spaces
  • • Insufficient time allowed for safe housekeeping and area clean-up within job planning

Need to add specific hazards for your workplace?

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Legislation & References

This document was researched and developed to align with:

  • Work Health and Safety Act 2011
  • Work Health and Safety Regulations 2017
  • Model Code of Practice – How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks: Guidance on systematic risk management processes.
  • Model Code of Practice – Managing the Work Environment and Facilities: Requirements for safe access, egress, floors, lighting and amenities.
  • Model Code of Practice – Managing the Risks of Falls at Workplaces: Principles for controlling fall risks on the same level and from one level to another.
  • AS/NZS ISO 31000:2018: Risk management — Guidelines.
  • AS 1657: Fixed platforms, walkways, stairways and ladders — Design, construction and installation.
  • AS/NZS 4586: Slip resistance classification of new pedestrian surface materials.
  • AS/NZS 4663: Slip resistance measurement of existing pedestrian surfaces.
  • AS 1319: Safety signs for the occupational environment.
Standard Risk Assessment Features (Click to Expand)
  • Comprehensive hazard identification for all activities
  • Risk rating matrix with likelihood and consequence analysis
  • Existing control measures evaluation
  • Residual risk assessment after controls
  • Hierarchy of controls recommendations
  • Action priority rankings
  • Review and monitoring requirements
  • Consultation and communication records
  • Legal compliance references
  • Sign-off and approval sections

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