New National Guide Targets Slip, Trip and Fall Risks at Work

Slips, trips and falls remain one of the most common causes of workplace harm in Australia, occurring in almost every industry and work environment. In 2024–25 alone, there were around 32,000 workers’ compensation claims for serious injuries linked to these incidents, highlighting the need for stronger risk management and more effective WHS management systems.

In response, Safe Work Australia has released a new Guide to managing the risks of slips, trips and falls. The guide is designed to help employers, PCBUs and health and safety representatives systematically identify slip, trip and fall hazards and put in place practical, sustainable control measures.

The guide explains how common factors such as uneven or damaged flooring, spills, poor housekeeping, cluttered walkways and inadequate lighting can significantly increase the likelihood of incidents. It also emphasises the broader organisational elements that influence risk, including work design, workload, supervision, maintenance practices and how safety policies and procedures are implemented and monitored in day‑to‑day operations.

Structured as an easy‑to‑use resource, the guide can be applied across offices, warehouses, construction sites, healthcare facilities, retail, hospitality and other work environments. It encourages workplaces to embed hazard identification and risk control into their WHS management systems, supported by clear policies, procedures and Safe Work Method Statements (SWMS) for higher‑risk tasks. For workplaces seeking formalised documentation, WHS policies and procedures templates are available from specialist providers such as Bluesafe.

The new guide promotes a proactive, preventative approach to safety. It outlines steps for consulting with workers, assessing existing controls, and applying the hierarchy of control to eliminate slip, trip and fall hazards where reasonably practicable, or otherwise minimise the risks as far as is reasonably achievable. It also includes a downloadable checklist that can be used during workplace inspections to systematically identify hazards and verify that controls are in place and effective.

Under work health and safety legislation, employers and PCBUs have a primary duty of care to eliminate risks to health and safety, or where that is not reasonably practicable, to minimise those risks so far as is reasonably practicable. Managing slip, trip and fall risks is a critical part of meeting these obligations, reducing injury rates, and protecting workers, contractors, visitors and members of the public.

The Guide to managing the risks of slips, trips and falls is now available from the Safe Work Australia website and can be used alongside existing WHS management plans and procedures to strengthen an organisation’s overall safety performance.