One of the big challenges for safety managers when it comes to managing slips, trips and falls is to identify and place critical control and accident prevention measures into working environments. Through regulation and informational bodies such as OSHA and OH&S there is a wealth of information, advice and guidance on managing slips, trips and falls in the workplace. So why is it that despite this wealth of advice—slips, trips and falls continue to cause such a problem in the workplace?
Read any literature relating to this issue and one of the essential components of any slip, trip and fall management program is housekeeping—keeping work areas free of any hazards that could create a potential problem. For contained areas—such as offices and factories that often have standardized procedures in standardized environments this is more straightforward. But for outdoor workers in industries such as construction, transportation, logistics and oil and gas, who are almost always on the move in different environments and conditions, the challenge for the safety manager becomes extreme and “standard” preventative measures cannot always be applied.