Toolbox talk: slips, trips and falls

This is a ready-to-give toolbox talk on slips, trips and falls on the same level. Keep it to about five to ten minutes, run it before the work starts, and make it about the state of this site today. Use it as a script, adjust it to the job, and take questions at the end.

Why this matters

Slips, trips and falls on the level are the most common cause of injury on a building site. They do not sound as serious as a fall from height, but they put people in hospital with broken wrists, ankles and worse, and they cost days and weeks off the job. A trip can also throw someone into something far more dangerous, an open excavation, moving plant, or a drop. Almost every one of them comes down to the same thing: housekeeping. The point of this talk is to keep the site tidy and the routes clear, all day.

The main causes on the job

• Trailing cables and hoses across walkways and work areas.
• Materials, offcuts and waste left where people walk.
• Uneven or muddy ground, holes, and changes in level.
• Wet, icy or slippery surfaces, and spillages not cleared up.
• Poor lighting in walkways, stairs and work areas.

What you must do

• Keep it tidy as you go. Do not let materials, offcuts and waste build up, clear them to the skip or a set area.
• Keep walkways clear, and use the designated routes across site.
• Manage cables and hoses, route them away from walkways or cover them, and never leave them trailing.
• Deal with spills and mud straight away, and grit or clear ice in cold weather.
• Light the work and the routes, and report any lighting that is out.
• Barrier or cover holes and changes in level, and report any new hazard so it gets fixed.

Questions to discuss with the crew

• Where are the trip hazards on this site right now, and who will clear them?
• Are the walkways clear, and are cables and hoses managed?
• Is the lighting good enough in the work areas and on the stairs?
• What do we do if we spot a spill, a hole or a new hazard during the day?

Record the talk

Write down the date, the topic, who gave the talk and who attended, and keep it on file. The record shows the briefing happened, and it is often asked for by the principal contractor or in an investigation after an incident.

Related: Toolbox talk: ladders and stepladders, the toolbox talks index, and the how to write a risk assessment guide.