Slips, Trips, and Housekeeping

10 min read Training Guide

Keep floors and walkways safe and prevent the most common same-level falls.

Table of contents

You do not need a ladder to get badly hurt by a fall. A slip on a wet floor can break a wrist or a hip, or cause a head injury, and same-level falls are one of the most common reasons people miss work in every industry. They are also one of the easiest injuries to prevent, because the fix is usually simple: keep the walking surface clean, dry, clear and well lit.

What You Will Be Able to Do

  • Tell the difference between a slip, a trip and a misstep, and what causes each.
  • Respond to a spill correctly.
  • Keep cords, hoses, tools and materials out of walkways.
  • Choose footwear and a walking style for wet, greasy or icy surfaces.
  • Do a quick housekeeping check of your own work area.

How Same-Level Falls Happen

Type What happens Common causes
Slip Your foot loses grip and shoots forward Water, oil, grease, ice, dust, polished floors, worn soles
Trip Your foot hits something and your body keeps going Cords, hoses, boxes, uneven flooring, curled mats, open drawers
Misstep You step down further than you expected Unmarked curbs, a missed stair, holes, poor lighting

A slip usually sends you backward onto your hips, back or head. A trip sends you forward onto your hands, wrists and knees. Most of the time, the hazard was visible beforehand, and someone had already walked past it.

What the Rules Say

OSHA's walking-working surfaces rule, 29 CFR 1910.22, says floors and work areas must be kept clean, orderly and sanitary, and as dry as possible, with drainage or dry standing places where wet processes run. Walking surfaces must be inspected regularly and kept free of hazards such as sharp objects, loose boards, corrosion, leaks and spills. Anything hazardous must be fixed or guarded before anyone uses it again. In construction, 29 CFR 1926.25 requires debris and scrap to be kept clear of work areas, passageways and stairs.

Housekeeping is also a fire control and an evacuation control. Combustible trash feeds fires, and clutter in an aisle slows everyone down when they need to leave.

What to Do About a Spill

  1. Stop and stay with it if you can, or block it off so nobody walks through.
  2. Warn people. Put out a wet floor sign or cones. If you have none, send someone for them and stand guard.
  3. Identify what spilled. If it could be a chemical you do not know, treat it as a chemical spill, not a mess. Keep people away and follow your spill plan.
  4. Clean it up completely, then dry the area. A damp floor can still be slippery.
  5. Find the source. A drip that comes back in an hour needs a repair, not another mop.
  6. Remove the sign when the floor is dry, so people keep trusting them.

A sign is a warning, not a fix. Do not leave a spill sitting under a sign.

Keep Walkways Clear

  • Run cords and hoses along walls or overhead. If one must cross a walkway, use a cord cover or ramp.
  • Do not park carts, ladders, tools or materials in aisles, stairs or exit routes.
  • Close drawers and cabinet doors after you use them.
  • Put tools back when you finish with them. A tool on the floor is a trip hazard.
  • Stack materials so they are stable and do not lean out into a path.
  • Pick up scrap, packaging and offcuts as you go. Do not wait until the end of the shift.

Floors, Mats and Stairs

  • Report loose tiles, broken grates, holes and uneven transitions. Mark them until repaired.
  • Replace mats that curl, slide or bunch up. Use mats with a backing that grips the floor.
  • Use anti-slip tape or coatings in spots that keep getting wet.
  • Clean with the right product at the right strength. Too much soap or wax can make a floor slicker.
  • On stairs, keep one hand on the rail, take one step at a time and do not carry a load that blocks your view of your feet. Keep your phone in your pocket.

See Where You Are Walking

  • Fix or report burned-out lights, especially on stairs and at dock edges.
  • Give your eyes a moment when you go from bright sun into a dark building.
  • Do not read a phone or a clipboard while walking.
  • Carry loads so you can see over or around them.
  • Walk. Rushing shortens your reaction time, and most falls happen when people hurry.

Footwear

Shoes are your contact with the floor. Choose soles for the surface you work on.

Surface What helps
Wet or greasy floors Slip-resistant soles with a fine tread pattern
Rough ground or gravel Lugged soles and ankle support
Ice and packed snow Removable ice cleats, taken off before you go indoors
Mud Deep, self-cleaning treads, and scrape off boots before steps or ladders

Tread wears out. If your soles are smooth, they are no longer doing the job, even if the upper still looks good.

Walking on Ice and Wet Surfaces

If you have to cross a slippery surface:

  1. Assume it is slick, even when it just looks wet.
  2. Shorten your steps, keep your feet slightly apart, and put your foot down flat.
  3. Keep your hands out of your pockets for balance.
  4. Use handrails and go slowly.
  5. Clean your feet on the mat when you arrive, because snow and water tracked inside are the next hazard.

Parking lots and entrances are common spots for winter falls, so salt or sand them early.

A Two-Minute Housekeeping Check

Use this at the start of a task, and again before you leave.

  1. Can you walk the area without stepping over anything?
  2. Are spills, drips and leaks cleaned up, and their causes reported?
  3. Are exits, aisles, electrical panels and fire extinguishers clear?
  4. Are cords and hoses out of the way?
  5. Is scrap in a bin instead of on the floor?
  6. Are lights working?
  7. Are tools and materials put away or stacked safely?

Common Mistakes

Mistake What it costs Better habit
Stepping over a spill or cord The next person falls Fix it or report it now
Leaving a sign up after the floor dries People stop taking signs seriously Remove it when the job is done
Mopping and walking away A wet floor with no warning Sign first, then mop, in sections
Saving cleanup for the end of the shift Hours of walking around hazards Clean as you go
Wearing worn-out shoes Less grip on every step Replace them when tread is gone

Check Your Understanding

1. You see a small puddle by a cooler. It is not your area and you are carrying something. What do you do?

Set your load down if you can and warn people or stay with it, or send someone for a sign. Then get it cleaned up and report the source. Whoever saw it first owns the hazard until it is handled.

2. A power cord has to cross a busy aisle for two days. How do you handle it?

Reroute it if you can, overhead or along the wall. If it must cross, use a cord cover and mark it. Do not tape it down with a strip of loose tape and call it done.

3. A floor mat keeps curling at one corner. Someone taped it. Is that fixed?

Not really, because tape wears off and leaves its own edge. Replace it with a mat that lies flat and grips.

4. Your boots look fine, but you have nearly slipped twice in a week. What should you check?

The tread. Smooth or packed soles lose grip long before the boot looks worn out. Check whether your sole suits your floor too.

Key Takeaways

  • Same-level falls are common, can cause serious injury and are easy to prevent.
  • Slips come from lost grip, trips from hitting something, and missteps from misjudging a step.
  • Clean up spills at once, and fix the source. A sign is only a temporary warning.
  • Keep walkways, stairs and exits clear, and put cords overhead or under covers.
  • Wear soles suited to your surface, and replace them when the tread is gone.
  • Good housekeeping also controls fires and keeps exits open.