Slips, Trips and Falls: Has Your Business Assessed the Risks?

15 hours ago

A practical risk assessment can help protect your workers, customers and business while providing evidence of compliance with work health and safety obligations.

Slips, trips and falls are among the most common workplace incidents. They can happen in almost any business, whether it is a registered club, hospitality venue, office, retail store, warehouse or workshop.

A wet floor near an entrance, a loose mat, a damaged pathway or poorly lit stairs might seem like minor issues. However, these hazards can cause serious injuries, lost work time, workers’ compensation claims, and significant disruption to business operations.

For business owners and managers, the question is simple:

When did you last complete a risk assessment of slips, trips and falls in your workplace?

Why Should Businesses Review Their Slip, Trip and Fall Risks?

On 29 September 2026, Safe Work Australia published its Guide to Managing the Risks of Slips, Trips and Falls, providing practical advice to help businesses identify hazards, assess risks and implement effective controls.

This guidance is particularly relevant to small and medium businesses where supervisors are often responsible for identifying and managing hazards during everyday operations.

In NSW, legislative changes introduced on 1 July 2026 also strengthened the requirements relating to approved Codes of Practice.

Under section 26A of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011, businesses must comply with relevant approved Codes of Practice or adopt alternative measures that provide an equivalent or higher standard of safety.

The Managing the Risk of Falls at Workplaces Code of Practice primarily addresses falls from one level to another. Other approved Codes, including those addressing workplace risk management and work environments, may also be relevant.

For business owners and WHS managers, this makes it important to review existing risk assessments and ensure the selected controls are suitable and effective.

What Hazards Should Your Business Be Assessing?

Slip, trip and fall hazards can be present throughout a workplace.

Some common examples include:

Wet and slippery floors: Spills, cleaning activities, grease, condensation and rainwater entering buildings.
Uneven surfaces: Damaged tiles, loose carpet, potholes and changes in floor levels.
Stairs and ramps: Slippery surfaces, damaged stair edges, inadequate handrails and poor lighting.
External areas: Car parks, footpaths, loading areas and outdoor walkways affected by weather conditions.
Housekeeping: Trailing electrical cables, equipment, stock and other objects obstructing walkways.
Working at heights: Unsafe ladder use, unprotected edges, mezzanines and elevated work platforms.
Work organisation: Fatigue, rushing, carrying loads and inadequate staffing arrangements.

The challenge is not simply recognising these hazards. Businesses need to determine whether existing controls adequately manage the risks.

A Workplace Inspection Is Not the Same as a Risk Assessment

Many organisations conduct workplace inspections using a checklist.

This is an important activity, but an inspection checklist and a risk assessment serve different purposes.

A workplace inspection identifies hazards and checks whether existing controls are working.

A risk assessment considers how someone could be injured, the likelihood and potential consequences, and the control measures required to eliminate or minimise the risk.

For example, an inspection might identify a slippery tiled entrance during wet weather.

A risk assessment should go further by considering:

Who could be injured, including workers, contractors and customers?
When and why does the floor become slippery?
Are the current floor surfaces suitable for wet conditions?
Can the hazard be eliminated or controlled through improvements to flooring, drainage or entrance design?
Are temporary controls needed until permanent improvements can be implemented?
Who is responsible for implementing and checking the controls?

A warning sign may alert people to a hazard, but it does not remove the slippery surface.

Businesses should apply the hierarchy of controls and prioritise more effective measures wherever reasonably practicable.

Introducing the CHD Partners Slips, Trips and Falls Risk Assessment

To assist small and medium businesses, CHD Partners has developed a practical Slips, Trips and Falls Workplace Risk Assessment, drawing on Australian WHS legislation, approved Codes of Practice and Safe Work Australia guidance.

The assessment provides a structured approach to identifying common hazards and considering appropriate controls.

It includes:

36 common hazard scenarios, covering internal and external work environments, access equipment and organisational factors.
Recommended risk controls to assist supervisors and WHS managers in selecting suitable measures.
A risk-rating framework to help businesses prioritise hazards requiring attention.
A 43-question workplace inspection checklist to assist with ongoing monitoring.
A corrective-action register to allocate responsibilities, record actions and verify completion.

The assessment can be tailored to different workplaces, including registered clubs, hospitality venues, retail businesses, offices and industrial workplaces.

It is intended to be completed and verified against each workplace’s actual conditions, with workers consulted as part of the process.

Five Practical Actions for Supervisors and WHS Managers

Managing slips, trips and falls does not need to be complicated.

Walk through your workplace. Inspect internal floors, entrances, stairs, external pathways and operational areas. Consider different working conditions, including wet weather, cleaning activities and busy periods.

Consult your workers. Ask employees where they have noticed slippery surfaces, near misses or recurring problems. Workers often identify hazards that are missed during formal inspections.

Complete or review the risk assessment. Identify hazards, assess the potential consequences and determine whether current controls are sufficient.

Implement and record corrective actions. Allocate responsibilities, set completion timeframes, and keep evidence of repairs, improvements, or other controls implemented.

Monitor and review. Incorporate slip, trip and fall checks into routine workplace inspections, supervisor safety walks and incident reviews.

These activities help businesses move from simply identifying hazards to demonstrating that risks are being actively managed.

Documentation Is Important. Evidence Is Essential.

Having a completed risk assessment is a valuable starting point.

However, businesses should also be able to demonstrate that workers understand the hazards, controls have been implemented, inspections are being completed and identified problems are being resolved.

For example, where an inspection identifies a damaged external pathway, the business should record the defect, implement appropriate interim controls, arrange repairs and verify that the pathway is safe.

Maintaining these records can help demonstrate that the business is taking practical steps to meet its WHS obligations.

Is Your Business Ready to Review Its Slip, Trip and Fall Risks?

Slips, trips and falls can occur during routine activities, often in areas that workers and customers use every day.

A practical risk assessment can help businesses identify overlooked hazards, improve workplace safety and establish a documented approach to managing risks.

CHD Partners has developed a Slips, Trips and Falls Risk Assessment and Workplace Inspection Checklist to assist small and medium businesses.

Contact CHD Partners to learn more about the assessment and how it can be incorporated into your existing WHS management system.

CHD Partners – Practical Compliance Solutions for Small and Medium Businesses