This GBCA Toolbox Talk provides tips for recognizing and avoiding issues that cause slips, trips, and falls on the jobsite. Click below to download the Toolbox Talk as a handout (includes Sign-In Sheet).

Slips, Trips, and Falls

Slips, trips, and falls cause many disabling injuries and deaths each year. These accidents usually result from poor housekeeping practices, and can take place anywhere: the office, the construction site, or the home. Prevent slips, trips, and falls by being proactive: observe your environment and PLAN your movements.

REMEMBER: FAILING TO PLAN IS PLANNING TO FAIL

Examples of Slip, Trip, & Fall Hazards:

  • Tools and materials such as hoses, hand tools, buckets, or timber, etc. left on the ground.
  • General construction debris such as pieces of brick, lumber, pipes, or other materials.
  • Construction waste such as oils, greases, sawdust, or other fine dusts.
  • Mud on the ground, walkways, or the rungs of a ladder.
  • Spilled liquids, such as rainwater, spilled drinks, and plumbing leaks.
  • Poor lighting levels that limit visibility, such as natural light during winter months, or insufficient lighting under scaffolds and inside buildings.

Key Points & Reminders:

  • Concentrate on where you’re going, what you’re doing, and those working around you.
  • Stay off cell phones while walking or working.
  • Ask yourself, “Can someone else be affected by what I am doing or about to do?”
  • Remove, fix, or report hazards in your path.
  • Don’t leave a hazard for the next person to fall over!
  • Wear proper fitting footwear with soles in good condition.
  • Avoid baggy, loose, or torn clothing that could get caught on something and cause you to trip.
  • Pants should be worn on the waist or hips, not below the hips or at the thighs.
  • Remove or clean muddy footwear when entering buildings, or wipe your feet when you come in from rain or snow. Secured entrance way carpets can reduce potential slips.
  • Keep your work area clean. Clean up debris and waste regularly.
  • Report any defective or inadequate lighting.
  • Watch out for floors that are uneven, have holes, are wet, or have torn carpeting.
  • When carrying loads, ensure that you have good visibility of the surface in front of you.

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