All types of industries have risks and hazards, but these will vary greatly depending on the field. Putting the health and safety of your team first by carrying out a slip, trip and fall risk assessment in logistics should be your top priority. Moreover, slips, trips and falls account for 31% of all non-fatal reported injuries to the HSE.
Regardless of the size or type of your logistics, postal or courier operation, carrying out a risk assessment is essential for protecting your employees. Identifying the risks, evaluating objects, environments and vehicles, and planning effective control measures will help your team thrive.
In this article, we will review the importance of assessments and focus on the five main areas to consider while conducting a slip, trip and fall risk assessment, providing practical tips from Shoes For Crews along the way.
Risk assessment: the key to smarter, safer workplaces
The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 require employers to assess risks (including slips and trips) and take action to address them where necessary. The main benefits of performing this type of risk assessment include saving warehouse and storage space, meeting regulatory compliance standards, preventing injuries, implementing cost savings, and boosting employee well-being to promote a culture of safety and enhancing employee morale as well as strengthening retention.
Step-by-step guide: risk assessment for slips, trips, and falls in logistics
1. Identify the risks
Break down each area of your logistics site and delivery vehicles, identifying the potential slip, trip or fall hazards, one by one. Key risk indicators (KRIs) help you to monitor potential risks, enabling you to take proactive, preventative measures as a manager.
Common areas you want to review are:
- Floors, ramps and walkways: check for spills, debris and uneven surfaces.
- Entrances: look for improperly secured mats, rainwater collection and icy spots in winter.
- Packing and loading areas: identify clutter, unstable stacks, trailing leads and obstructions.
- Stairways and ladders: ensure proper maintenance and adequate hand railings as well as safe designs.
- Storage bins, pallets and packing materials: make sure that supplies, stock and shelves are secure and do not obstruct anyone on the floor.
- Large electrical equipment: properly store large appliances such as vacuums and cleaning tools and properly store leads and attachments.
- Delivery vans and lorries: check vehicles for damage or the need for repair and assess the state of the tyres.
It is essential to start your slips, trips and falls risk assessment by giving your workplace a thorough overview and evaluating the potential hazards.
2. Assess any potential risks
Once you have pinpointed your workplace’s potential hazards, evaluate and classify them by asking the following questions:
- How likely is it that the risk will cause an incident?
- What is the potential severity of an accident, if it occurs? (i.e., minor vs. major injury)
- How many employees are at risk, and how frequently are they exposed to the hazard?
3. Create mitigation strategies
Follow the hierarchy of controls to mitigate the risks identified both inside and outside your logistics facility.
- Elimination: remove the hazard completely
- Substitution: replace it with a safer alternative
- Engineering controls: apply physical modifications to isolate employees from the risk
- Administrative controls: craft and implement changes to work practices to reduce exposure
- Personal protective equipment (PPE): provide the appropriate safety gear, pull-on or lace-up footwear and equipment to minimise risk.
4. Monitor and review risks
Next, monitor the control measures you have implemented and regularly review your slips, trips and falls risk assessment or whenever significant changes occur in your workplace. Implementing regular cleaning schedules and streamlining your processes can help to promote a ‘tidy as you go’ culture. Encourage continuous employee feedback to help identify new hazards and improve safety protocols over time.
5. Prevent slips, trips and falls
At Shoes For Crews, safety is one of our four pillars. We are committed to keeping your logistics and postal workers safe from start to finish. Here are some ways to prevent workplace incidents before they happen:
1. Slips
While not all spills can be prevented, promptly cleaning up any that occur and ensuring that floors are left to dry properly after cleaning will improve the conditions in your facility. Our footwear styles also come equipped with our slip-resistant technology helping your employees stay on their feet and keeping them safe and protected from wet floors all day.
2. Trips
According to the HSE, trips are primarily caused by obstructions in walkways. The rest may occur from uneven surfaces, poor lighting or improper floor design for the work environment. Fixing these issues is often simple and cost-effective. Moreover, it is essential to ensure they are wearing the correct safety shoes with proper tread and grip to avoid potentially serious injuries.
3. Falls
The accelerated pace and continuous movements associated with logistics, postal and courier roles keep your employees at risk of slipping and falling. Hazardous working conditions may further increase the likelihood of slip or fall-related accident or injury.
From delivery drivers to postal service employees, protect your entire staff from workplace slips and falls with this risk assessment checklist and our top-quality, durable footwear. To receive more information about how our different shoe features can help your team prevent slips, trips and falls in the workplace, get in touch with one of our footwear specialists. Or browse our full range directly to see more safety footwear styles.
Quick slips, trips and falls risk assessment checklist for managers
Use this handy checklist and answer the following questions the next time you need to perform a logistics risk assessment.
| Slips, Trips and Falls Risk Assessment Checklist | Yes
|
No |
| 1. Are there any spills or debris on the floors, ramps or walkways? | ||
| 2. Do you notice any uneven surfaces that need to be corrected? | ||
| 3. Do the entrances have secured mats and are there any wet or icy spots near the doors? | ||
| 4. Are the packing and loading areas free of clutter, trailing leads and obstructions? | ||
| 5. Do any railings on stairways or steps on ladders need to be repaired? | ||
| 6. Are there any storage bins, pallets or packing materials that may cause an obstruction? | ||
| 7. Is all large electrical equipment (i.e., vacuums and cleaning tools) stored properly and all leads bundled up? | ||
| 8. Are there any vehicles that have been damaged or need repair? | ||
| 9. Are there any vehicles’ tyres in need of repair or replacement? | ||
| 10. Has any new equipment been installed since the last assessment? | ||
| 11. Does any employee’s work shoes, gloves or other gear need to be replaced? |
