Slips and trips risk assessment: what employers must inspect and control

Start with the route people actually use

Regulation 3 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 requires a suitable and sufficient assessment of risks to employees and other people affected by the work. Regulation 12 of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 also requires floors and traffic routes to be suitable, in good condition and, so far as reasonably practicable, free from obstructions and substances that could cause someone to slip, trip or fall.

Walk the workplace during real operating conditions. Include entrances, stairs, ramps, corridors, production lines, kitchens, washrooms, loading areas, external paths and temporary routes around maintenance. Observe opening time, shift change, deliveries, cleaning and poor weather. A dry Sunday inspection may miss the weekday queue that crosses a freshly mopped reception or the rainwater tracked in at a busy Tyne and Wear workshop entrance.

Record who uses each route and what they are doing. Staff may carry stock, pull cages, push wheelchairs, look for signs or move quickly in an emergency. Visitors, contractors and members of the public may not know the layout. People with limited mobility, impaired vision, pregnancy-related changes or reduced balance may need more time, clearer routes, reliable handrails or different temporary arrangements.

HSE: employer guidance on slips and trips ↗ · Management Regulations: regulation 3 ↗ · Workplace Regulations: regulation 12 ↗

Separate slip causes from trip causes

Slip risk usually involves an interaction between contamination, cleaning, flooring, footwear, the environment and the person. Water, oil, food, fine dust, swarf and packaging can all change how the foot grips the floor. Condensation, leaking equipment, overspray and tracked-in rain may create a recurring problem even when nobody reports a visible spill.

Trip risk needs a different look. HSE highlights walkways, housekeeping, design and maintenance. Check trailing cables, stored items, open drawers, poorly positioned waste, damaged floor coverings, uneven paving, raised thresholds and level changes that are hard to see. Ask why the obstruction is there. Moving it today is not a lasting control if storage space, power points or the work sequence put it back tomorrow.

Map defects and incidents to locations. Repeated near misses beside the same doorway, drain or cable crossing are more useful than a general statement that workers should take care. Link the assessment to maintenance records and the near-miss process so recurring conditions are visible before an injury occurs.

HSE: causes and prevention overview ↗ · Related guide: near-miss reporting at work →

Control contamination at source

First ask whether the contamination can be prevented. Repair leaks, contain process fluids, change how ingredients or waste are transferred, fit effective entrance canopies and provide enough matting for people to dry their footwear. Drip trays, splash guards and suitable bins can stop a local problem spreading across a walking route.

Where contamination cannot be eliminated, control it promptly and predictably. Define who responds, what equipment they use and how access is restricted until the surface is safe. The arrangement must work outside office hours and during peak production—not depend on finding the one person who knows where the spill kit is kept.

A warning sign communicates a temporary condition; it does not remove water, oil or an obstruction. Positioning a sign in the route can create an additional trip hazard. Use signs as part of a short, managed response while the area is being made safe, then remove them when they are no longer needed.

HSE: contamination and slip risk ↗

Make cleaning part of the control

Cleaning should remove contamination, but the wrong method can spread it, leave residue or introduce water, trailing leads and equipment into a live route. Match the product, concentration, equipment, contact time and method to the floor and the contaminant. Check the result rather than treating a completed cleaning sheet as proof that the surface is safe.

Schedule routine wet cleaning when foot traffic is low where possible. Exclude people from a wet or drying area, or clean in sections so a dry route remains available. HSE notes that a damp smooth floor may still be slippery even after a dry mop or squeegee has shortened the drying time.

Include contract cleaners in the assessment. Agree who controls access, reports damaged flooring, replenishes materials and handles an unplanned spill. Their method statement should fit the building's real occupancy and flooring—not simply describe a generic sequence used at every client site.

HSE: cleaning and slip prevention ↗

Check flooring, entrances and stairs

Flooring must suit the contamination and activity it will face. A surface that performs well when dry may be unsuitable when wet, greasy or dusty. Review supplier data for the expected conditions, and obtain competent testing where the cause remains uncertain or the consequences could be serious. HSE's technical guidance explains recognised ways to assess slip resistance; a visual inspection alone cannot quantify slipperiness.

Inspect joints, tiles, gratings, mats, thresholds and temporary repairs. Keep entrance matting flat, secured and long enough to do its job, with a plan for saturation and replacement during persistent North East rain. External routes need drainage, lighting and arrangements for leaves, snow and ice. Stairs need consistent dimensions, sound nosings, suitable lighting and usable handrails.

Treat a new floor, coating or cleaning product as a change requiring review. A specification labelled ‘non-slip’ is not a universal guarantee: performance depends on the test method, contamination, wear, installation, maintenance and footwear. Trial the complete system in the conditions in which it will be used.

HSE: assessing the slip resistance of flooring ↗

Consider the task, footwear and people

People are more likely to lose footing when they cannot see the route, their hands are occupied, they are pushing or pulling, they are distracted or the work drives rushing. Change the layout, load size, route or timing before relying on reminders to walk carefully. Good lighting should reveal contamination and level changes without glare masking the surface.

Suitable slip-resistant footwear may be needed where residual risk remains, but select it for the real contaminant and floor. Confirm fit, comfort and compatibility with the task, then replace it before tread or material performance is lost. Footwear should support engineered and organisational controls, not excuse a leaking machine or unsuitable surface.

Higher-consequence settings need additional care. A minor loss of balance can have greater effects beside hot processes, moving equipment, traffic, unprotected edges or where a person is supporting a patient or service user. In care, hospitality and public-facing premises, controls must also account for occupants who move slowly, use mobility aids or cannot easily recognise temporary restrictions.

Slips and trips inspection checklist

Legal requirements and official guidance were checked on 27 September 2026. The assessment should be proportionate to the workplace, but it must describe the actual routes, causes and controls clearly enough for managers, cleaners and maintenance teams to act on it.

• Observe each route during busy work, cleaning, deliveries and poor weather.
• Identify the source and spread path of water, oil, dust, food and other contamination.
• Repair leaks and redesign tasks before relying on clean-up alone.
• Keep walkways free from cables, storage, waste and temporary obstructions.
• Inspect flooring, joints, thresholds, mats, stairs, handrails and external paths.
• Match cleaning products and methods to the floor and contaminant.
• Exclude pedestrians from wet floors or maintain a genuinely dry route.
• Use warning signs only as part of a controlled temporary response.
• Check lighting, drainage, entrance matting and winter arrangements.
• Consider carrying, pushing, rushing, visibility and suitable footwear.
• Account for visitors and people with mobility, vision or balance limitations.
• Map incidents and near misses, assign actions and verify that controls work.
• Review after layout, flooring, cleaning, occupancy or process changes.