 Home Health and Safety Health and Safety Toolkit
Risk mapping for slips and trips
08 July 2005
Risk mapping for slips and trips
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How reps can use risk mapping to tackle slip and trip hazards at work
The Health and Safety Commission (HSC) has made the reduction of slips, trips and falls at work a priority target. Usdaw supports the HSC campaign and has produced a new leaflet explaining to safety reps how to use Risk Mapping to help clean up the workplace safety record.
Slips and trips are the single most common cause of injury accounting for a third of all reported major injuries. 95% of those injuries involve fractures of arms, wrists and ankles.
Slips and trips are particularly serious in the service industries like retail where both workers and members of the public are at risk.
Risk Mapping is a tool that safety reps can use to involve members in identifying problems and hazards in the workplace using their knowledge and experience.
How to use the Risk Mapping tool
The Risk Mapping technique can be used in any workplace or work area and can be a very effective tool in helping reduce injuries at work for Usdaw members. See pages 2 and 3 on the download at the end of this text, for an example and a chart.
- Draw a rough sketch map of the area (The diagram does not need to be a work of art or even to scale so long as it represents the workplace affected).
- Mark on all the slips and trips reported in the last 12 months (or any relevant period) with crosses.
- Talk to members to identify any 'near misses' and add them to the chart.
- Find out from members what is causing people to slip or trip in that area.
Any 'hotspots' will quickly show up on the chart. Once the problems and their causes have been identified:
- Discuss them with management.
- Decide what action needs to be taken.
- Continue to monitor to ensure control measures put in place are working.
- Make sure improvements are communicated to members to show what the union has achieved.
We're not falling for it! - safety reps can deliver on slips and trips.
Risk mapping for slips and trips was correct at date of publication November 2004.
Download File:
Risk mapping for slips and trips [ pdf ]
Contact Details
Health and Safety
Ph: 0161 249 2441
Fax: 0161 249 2475
Email: healthandsafety@usdaw.org.uk
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