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Employee

What the law says

Employees have general duties under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.

They must take reasonable care of themselves and others who may be affected by their actions and comply with their employers arrangements for managing health and safety.

If you are an employee or working under someone else's control, the law says you must:

  • inform your employer of any work situation you consider dangerous, or of any shortcoming in their protection arrangements for health and safety
  • use all work items provided by your employer correctly, in accordance with your training and the instructions you received to use them safely

How can you help to prevent slips and trips in your workplace?

  • Report near misses and accidents promptly to your employer
  • If you see slip and trip risks, try to sort them out or inform your employer
  • Help to keep floors clean and dry
  • Clear up spillages straight away
  • If you think of ways of preventing contamination (water, oils, cardboard, waste etc) from getting onto the floor, suggest them to your employer
  • Avoid causing trailing cables
  • Keep place of work clear of obstacles
  • Ask your employer to mark slopes and changes of levels
  • If there isn't adequate lighting, report it
  • Follow all safety advice

Slips and trips resources

For more information on preventing slips and trips, visit the slips and trips resources page[28].

Link URLs in this page

  1. Slips and tripshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/slips/index.htm
  2. The lawhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/slips/law.htm
  3. Frequently asked questions https://www.hse.gov.uk/slips/faq.htm
  4. Overview - Are you a?https://www.hse.gov.uk/slips/are-you.htm
  5. Employerhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/slips/employers.htm
  6. Employeehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/slips/workers.htm
  7. Architect or designerhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/slips/architects.htm
  8. Overview - Causes and preventionhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/slips/preventing.htm
  9. Overview - Contaminationhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/slips/cleancampaign.htm
  10. Cleaninghttps://www.hse.gov.uk/slips/cleaning.htm
  11. Flooringhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/slips/flooring.htm
  12. Overview - Footwearhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/slips/footprocure.htm
  13. Supplying slip-resistant footwearhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/slips/manufactfoot.htm
  14. Environmenthttps://www.hse.gov.uk/slips/environment.htm
  15. People (human factors)https://www.hse.gov.uk/slips/human-factors.htm
  16. Overview - Resourceshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/slips/information.htm
  17. Publicationshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/slips/publications.htm
  18. Overview - Toolshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/slips/tools.htm
  19. STEP eLearning packagehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/slips/step/index.htm
  20. Overview - Slips Assessment Tool (SAT)https://www.hse.gov.uk/slips/sat/index.htm
  21. Using SAThttps://www.hse.gov.uk/slips/sat/default.htm
  22. Research reportshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/slips/research.htm
  23. Case studieshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/slips/casestudies.htm
  24. Campaignshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/slips/campaigns.htm
  25. Useful linkshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/slips/links.htm
  26. Audio and videohttps://www.hse.gov.uk/slips/audiovideo.htm
  27. Subscribehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/slips/ebulletin/index.htm
  28. slips and trips resources pagehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/slips/information.htm
  29. Slips and trips - Hazard spotting checklisthttps://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/ck4.pdf
  30. Preventing slips and trips at work INDG 225 (rev1) https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg225.pdf
  31. Injury caused by a slip in a kitchenhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/slips/audiovideo.htm
  32. Virtual College: Slips, Trips and Falls Online Traininghttps://www.virtual-college.co.uk/resources/slips-and-trips
  33. CIRIAhttp://www.ciria.org.uk/
  34. Usdaw: Risk mapping for slips and tripshttp://www.usdaw.org.uk/CMSPages/GetFile.aspx?guid=2db107ca-4d5d-49a2-99dc-16e187a59e71
  35. Work at heighthttps://www.hse.gov.uk/work-at-height/index.htm
  36. Shattered Liveshttps://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20200912193450/https://www.hse.gov.uk/slips/shattered.htm
  37. Cleaninghttps://www.hse.gov.uk/cleaning/index.htm
  38. Stop Slips in Kitchenshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/slips/kitchens/index.htm
  39. RIDDOR - Report an incidenthttps://www.hse.gov.uk/riddor/index.htm

Glossary of abbreviations/acronyms on this page

RIDDOR
Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995

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2021-05-07