Slips and trips - IOSH · 2018. 7. 10. · Slips and trips are the main cause of major injuries in the workplace and are therefore the target of one of the HSE’s priority programmes

Slips and tripsSurvey of IOSH members – wave 2 results and comparison with wave 1June 2008

Contents

Executive summary 3

Introduction 4

Main findings 7

1 Current outlook on slips and trips 7

2 Control measures 12

3 Help and guidance 17

4 Conclusions 18

Appendices 19

A Introductory email 19

B Marked-up questionnaire 20

C Cross-tabulations 26

Acknowledgments 27

3

Executive summary

Main findingsThis report presents findings from a survey of IOSH members’ views on slipsand trips. Two waves of this survey have now been completed. Results fromthe first wave were published in June 2007. A further survey is planned for2008, which will provide both IOSH and the HSE with valuable information onhow the situation is changing and what impact their work has had.

Overall, slips and trips are the most recognised health and safety hazardamong IOSH members who responded to the survey, and there was asignificant increase in the proportion of respondents who selected slips andtrips as one of their top three priorities. Interestingly, two-thirds ofrespondents said that other hazards were a higher priority in theirorganisation. Moreover, it should be borne in mind that those who took partin the survey (38 per cent of those approached) knew that it was about slipsand trips, and so may have been more engaged with the issue in the firstplace.

The reasonably high priority given to slips and trips appears to be reflected inmembers’ commitment to dealing with the issue – 83 per cent feel that theirorganisations are committed to tackling it (compared with 81 per cent inwave 1). Therefore, as with the findings from other HSE research, there is noevidence to suggest that members regard the issue as trivial. Encouragingly,members also see room for improvement – only 13 per cent consider theirorganisations to be already fully effective and just 6 per cent say there isnothing more their organisation could do to reduce the risk.

In terms of controlling slips and trips, the more active measures such astesting flooring and reviewing cleaning systems are still used relativelyinfrequently compared with the more intangible ‘worker involvement’approaches. However, there was a small increase in the proportion ofmembers saying that they had reviewed their cleaning system in the past year.The proportion of respondents who said they tested the slipperiness of theirfloors remained unchanged, and fairly low, at 22 per cent, which isdisappointing. Encouragingly, though, those who are testing their floors aresignificantly more likely to use a method recommended by the HSE.

Just over half of members feel they have enough general guidance on theissue, although there is still demand for more technical information andbenchmarking data. The HSE’s website is seen very positively as a source ofinformation.

4

Introduction

Survey aimsSlips and trips are the main cause of major injuries in the workplace and aretherefore the target of one of the HSE’s priority programmes for reducinginjuries. Specifically, the HSE is looking to reduce the number of reportedmajor injuries caused by slips and trips by 5 per cent between 2004/05 and2007/08. Achieving this target would represent an important contribution tothe HSE’s overall target for injury reduction as stated in its public serviceagreement for 2005–2008.1 In working towards this aim, the slips and tripsteam within the HSE is carrying out a range of activities, includingcommunications, training events and research. This includes work with‘stakeholders’ to promote the issue of slips and trips, to identify how riskfactors might be addressed, and to track improvements in safety culture.

IOSH members represent a very influential group of stakeholders. They are healthand safety practitioners in a range of workplaces, and collectively they have acrucial role in advising on the priorities for health and safety activity in the UK.Through the range of work in its slips and trips programme, the HSE seeks toinfluence IOSH members and encourage more attention and work on the issue.

To help achieve this aim and to measure progress, the HSE and IOSH workedin partnership to conduct this small-scale survey with a representative sampleof IOSH members. The aims of the survey were:• to gain a better understanding of current awareness, attitudes and practice

on slips and trips• to suggest activities or initiatives that might help the HSE promote the

issue further• through repeat surveys, to enable us to ‘baseline’ and then track awareness,

attitudes and practice as a way of testing the impact of our work.

A secondary objective was to influence IOSH members’ views through thesurvey itself. We recognised that respondents could be made more aware ofslips and trips issues simply by taking part in the survey, and that this couldbenefit the HSE’s slips and trips programme. An important facet of our plan isto approach a different group of IOSH members in each year of the survey.This will allow us to pursue our twin aims of reliably measuring changes inattitudes and raising awareness through the survey itself.

MethodologyThe survey was conducted electronically, with respondents drawn from theIOSH membership database. The questionnaire (see Appendix B) wasdeveloped jointly by IOSH and the HSE.

All IOSH members are listed in the comprehensive and regularly maintainedIOSH membership database. The sample group chosen for the survey was madeup of UK-based IOSH members who had supplied an email address as part oftheir IOSH membership details, at all categories except Affiliate. We filtered outhonorary, retired and unemployed members from this group to focus on thosewho were most likely to be actively engaged in dealing with slips and trips.Members who worked for the HSE were also excluded from the sample.

1 Health and Safety Executive. Health and safety public service agreement: measurement ofprogress. Available online at www.hse.gov.uk/aboutus/plans/sr2004.htm.

5

Researchers at IOSH took a random sample of 4,000 members from theremaining data (excluding the group who were surveyed in wave 1). Analert email was sent to the selected members to tell them about the survey(see Appendix A). Through this process, we were able to determine that 541of the email addresses were invalid, wrong or out of date. A further eightmembers asked to be excluded from the survey at this stage. To top up thesample, 625 more addresses were randomly selected and added to thesample.

The remaining 3,956 members received a link to the questionnaire by emailon 26 October 2007. Respondents were asked to click on the link, completethe questionnaire and send it to IOSH. The questionnaire was intended totake about 10 minutes to complete.

The survey link was closed on 19 November, by which time we had received1,501 responses – a response rate of 38 per cent, which was substantiallyhigher that achieved in wave 1 of the survey (31 per cent) .

The final sample outcomes were as follows:

Sample profileThe following three tables show the profile of the sample by organisation size,sector and category of IOSH membership, in both wave 1 (2006) and wave 2(2007) of the survey. Between waves 1 and 2, there was a slight reduction ofmembers working in smaller organisations, although the vast majority (76 percent) of respondents in wave 2 worked for organisations that employed 250people or more.

Stage Number

Initial approaches made to members 4,625

Questionnaires actually sent out 3,956

Questionnaires completed 1,501

Response rate 38%

Table 1Sample size and response rate

Size band(number ofemployees)

Workplaces in each size band(%)

Organisations in each size band(%)

2006 2007 2006 2007

1–10 10 13 4 6

11–49 13 18 3 5

50–249 35 31 11 13

250–999 25 25 19 18

1,000–9,999 14 12 31 29

10,000+ 3 2 32 29

Table 2Respondents by workplace and organisation

size (number of employees)

6

Table 3 shows the distribution of responses by sector. There was quite anoticeable shift between the two waves of the survey, with a far higherproportion of respondents in wave 2 from private sector services and fewerfrom production or public administration and health. To make appropriatecomparisons between the results from the 2006 and 2007 surveys, data fromthe latest survey have been weighted so that the overall profile ofrespondents by size and broad industry group matches the wave 1 surveyprofile. ‘Standard rim weighting’1 was used to derive the weights.

Table 4 compares the profile of respondents to the survey by IOSHmembership category. Although there appears to have been a shift in theprofile away from the MIOSH to CMIOSH category, this reflects the phasedmove of members to Chartered status, and there is no need to adjust theresults because of this.

Industry group 2006 (%) 2007 (%)

Public administration and health 26 20

Construction 18 19

Production (agriculture, manufacturing and energy) 30 21

Private sector services 26 40

Table 3Distribution of respondents by sector

Membership category 2006 (%) 2007 (%)

CFIOSH 3 2

FIOSH * *

CMIOSH 35 44

MIOSH 20 4

Grad IOSH 7 13

Tech IOSH 35 36

Table 4Distribution of respondents by IOSH

membership category (* indicates a

percentage between 1 and 0)

1 Elliot D. Weighting for non-response: a survey researcher’s guide. London: OPCS, 1991.

7

Main findings

1 Current outlook on slips and trips

1.1 What priority is given to slips and trips compared to other hazards?The starting point of the survey was to establish the relative importance thatmembers give to slips and trips compared to some other health and safety issues.In wave 2, we are also interested in any changes in the priority rating of issues.

Figure 1 shows that slips and trips is the most recognised hazard among IOSHmembers, with almost nine out of 10 respondents selecting them as relevant toworkers in their organisation. While this represents a slight drop in the proportionbetween wave 1 and wave 2, all other issues experienced a similar reduction.

Don’t know 11%

No 57%

Yes 32%

0 20 40

% of respondents

60 80 100

Respiratoryproblems

Hand–armvibration

Skinproblems

Repetitivestrain injury

Vehicularaccidents

Falls fromheight

Stress

Backproblems

Slips andtrips

2006 2007

90%

88%

83%

80%

70%

66%

64%

58%

59%

57%

64%

56%

44%

42%

42%

36%

34%

29%

Respiratoryproblems

Skinproblems

Hand–armvibration


Vehicularaccidents

Stress

Falls fromheight

Backproblems

Slips andtrips

% of respondents0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

2006 2007

61%

69%

53%

56%

41%

39%

37%

36%

28%

35%

21%

21%

16%

13%

9%

9%

8%

7%

% of respondents

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

2006 2007

52%

64%

68%

59%

Large(250+)

Medium(50–249)

Small(1–49)

67%

72%

% of respondents0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Privatesector

services

Production

Construction

Publicadministration

and health

2006 2007

57%

66%

60%

79%

70%

67%

60%

68%

More to do Small amount to do Fully effective

% of respondents0 20 40 60 80 100

Respiratoryproblems

Falls fromheight

Skinproblems


Vehicularaccidents

Hand–armvibration

Slips andtrips

Backproblems

Stress 62% 29% 8%

36% 52% 12%

32% 55% 13%

28% 50% 22%

28% 56% 17%

26% 50% 24%

20% 44% 37%

18% 55% 26%

16% 33% 51%

Fully effectiveSmall amount to doMore to do

% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100

2006

2007

29% 57% 13%

31% 55% 13%

% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100

A lot more A fair amount more A little more No more

2007

2006 6% 32% 58% 4%

7% 35% 52% 6%

Always Mostly Usually Occasionally

% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100

Large(250+)

Medium(50–249)

Small(1–49)

6% 60% 29% 5%

6% 63% 28%

4%

12% 59% 23% 6%


% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100

Privatesector

services

Construction

Production


and health8% 61% 25% 6%

8% 63% 26%

3%

8% 61% 28%

3%

5% 58% 31% 6%

% of respondents0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

My organisationis fully committed

to reducing the riskof slips and trips

Slips and trips areimportant but

other hazards aremore of a priority

for us

Workers in myorganisation are

co-operating fullyto help reduce the

risk of slips and trips

I feel I know all Ineed to know to

help my organisationreduce the risk

of workers slippingor tripping over

We sometimeshave difficultly

getting newinitiativeson slips and trips

adopted consistentlyin all parts of our

organisation

I would expect ahealth and safety

inspector to checkfor slip or trip risks

if they visited myorganisation

2006 2007

73%

72%

53%

43%

49%

56%

60%

60%

83%

81%

67%

67%

Withinthe last6 months

Withinthe lastyear

Withinthe last2 years

More than 2 years ago

Don’tknow/no reply

% of respondents0 20 40 60 80 100

2006

2007 44% 19%

4%

30%

3%

41% 18%

5%

32%

4%


Withinthe lastyear




% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100

2006

2007

3%

21% 15% 60%

2%

5%

20% 13% 60%

2%

% of respondents0 20 40 60 80

Don’t testslipperiness

Othermethod

Methodrecommended

by HSE

2006 2007

12%

15%

78%

7%

10%

78%


Large(250+)

Medium(50–249)

Small(1–49)

2006 2007

50%

58%

60%

63%

48%

71%

% of respondents

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Privatesector

services

Production

Construction


and health

2006 2007

63%

75%

55%

50%

43%

63%

46%

64%

Have enough Could do with more Do not need

% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100

Benchmarkinginformation tocompare with

others

Techniques forassessing risks

Suitable guidancematerial to show

how to tackle risks52% 46%

2%

37% 59%

4%

15% 73% 12%

When respondents were asked about the top three health and safety prioritiesin their organisations, slips and trips was the most frequently chosen issue(see Figure 2). There is a statistically significant increase in the proportion ofmembers who mentioned slips and trips between wave 1 and wave 2 (from61 per cent in 2006 to 69 per cent in 2007). The only other issue where therewas a significant increase was vehicular accidents.

Looking at responses by industry sector and size yields some interesting results(see Figures 3 and 4). As has been seen in other HSE surveys, respondents inlarger workplaces and organisations are more likely to select slips and trips as

Figure 1Which of the following issues are potentially

relevant to workers in your organisation? –

waves 1 and 2 (see question 5 in Appendix B)

This is a multicoded question for whichrespondents could choose more than oneanswer

8

Don’t know 11%

No 57%

Yes 32%

0 20 40

% of respondents

60 80 100

Respiratoryproblems

Hand–armvibration

Skinproblems


Vehicularaccidents

Falls fromheight

Stress

Backproblems

Slips andtrips

2006 2007

90%

88%

83%

80%

70%

66%

64%

58%

59%

57%

64%

56%

44%

42%

42%

36%

34%

29%

Respiratoryproblems

Skinproblems

Hand–armvibration


Vehicularaccidents

Stress

Falls fromheight

Backproblems

Slips andtrips

% of respondents0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

2006 2007

61%

69%

53%

56%

41%

39%

37%

36%

28%

35%

21%

21%

16%

13%

9%

9%

8%

7%

% of respondents

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

2006 2007

52%

64%

68%

59%

Large(250+)

Medium(50–249)

Small(1–49)

67%

72%

% of respondents0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Privatesector

services

Production

Construction


and health

2006 2007

57%

66%

60%

79%

70%

67%

60%

68%


% of respondents0 20 40 60 80 100

Respiratoryproblems

Falls fromheight

Skinproblems


Vehicularaccidents

Hand–armvibration

Slips andtrips

Backproblems

Stress 62% 29% 8%

36% 52% 12%

32% 55% 13%

28% 50% 22%

28% 56% 17%

26% 50% 24%

20% 44% 37%

18% 55% 26%

16% 33% 51%


% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100

2006

2007

29% 57% 13%

31% 55% 13%

% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100


2007

2006 6% 32% 58% 4%

7% 35% 52% 6%


% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100

Large(250+)

Medium(50–249)

Small(1–49)

6% 60% 29% 5%

6% 63% 28%

4%

12% 59% 23% 6%


% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100

Privatesector

services

Construction

Production


and health8% 61% 25% 6%

8% 63% 26%

3%

8% 61% 28%

3%

5% 58% 31% 6%

% of respondents0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90





for us










organisation




2006 2007

73%

72%

53%

43%

49%

56%

60%

60%

83%

81%

67%

67%


Withinthe lastyear




% of respondents0 20 40 60 80 100

2006

2007 44% 19%

4%

30%

3%

41% 18%

5%

32%

4%


Withinthe lastyear




% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100

2006

2007

3%

21% 15% 60%

2%

5%

20% 13% 60%

2%



Othermethod

Methodrecommended

by HSE

2006 2007

12%

15%

78%

7%

10%

78%


Large(250+)

Medium(50–249)

Small(1–49)

2006 2007

50%

58%

60%

63%

48%

71%

% of respondents

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Privatesector

services

Production

Construction


and health

2006 2007

63%

75%

55%

50%

43%

63%

46%

64%


% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100


others




2%

37% 59%

4%

15% 73% 12%

Figure 2Which three issues are your organisation’s

main priorities? – waves 1 and 2 (see

question 6 in Appendix B)


Don’t know 11%

No 57%

Yes 32%

0 20 40

% of respondents

60 80 100

Respiratoryproblems

Hand–armvibration

Skinproblems


Vehicularaccidents

Falls fromheight

Stress

Backproblems

Slips andtrips

2006 2007

90%

88%

83%

80%

70%

66%

64%

58%

59%

57%

64%

56%

44%

42%

42%

36%

34%

29%

Respiratoryproblems

Skinproblems

Hand–armvibration


Vehicularaccidents

Stress

Falls fromheight

Backproblems

Slips andtrips

% of respondents0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

2006 2007

61%

69%

53%

56%

41%

39%

37%

36%

28%

35%

21%

21%

16%

13%

9%

9%

8%

7%

% of respondents

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

2006 2007

52%

64%

68%

59%

Large(250+)

Medium(50–249)

Small(1–49)

67%

72%

% of respondents0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Privatesector

services

Production

Construction


and health

2006 2007

57%

66%

60%

79%

70%

67%

60%

68%


% of respondents0 20 40 60 80 100

Respiratoryproblems

Falls fromheight

Skinproblems


Vehicularaccidents

Hand–armvibration

Slips andtrips

Backproblems

Stress 62% 29% 8%

36% 52% 12%

32% 55% 13%

28% 50% 22%

28% 56% 17%

26% 50% 24%

20% 44% 37%

18% 55% 26%

16% 33% 51%


% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100

2006

2007

29% 57% 13%

31% 55% 13%

% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100


2007

2006 6% 32% 58% 4%

7% 35% 52% 6%


% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100

Large(250+)

Medium(50–249)

Small(1–49)

6% 60% 29% 5%

6% 63% 28%

4%

12% 59% 23% 6%


% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100

Privatesector

services

Construction

Production


and health8% 61% 25% 6%

8% 63% 26%

3%

8% 61% 28%

3%

5% 58% 31% 6%

% of respondents0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90





for us










organisation




2006 2007

73%

72%

53%

43%

49%

56%

60%

60%

83%

81%

67%

67%


Withinthe lastyear




% of respondents0 20 40 60 80 100

2006

2007 44% 19%

4%

30%

3%

41% 18%

5%

32%

4%


Withinthe lastyear




% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100

2006

2007

3%

21% 15% 60%

2%

5%

20% 13% 60%

2%



Othermethod

Methodrecommended

by HSE

2006 2007

12%

15%

78%

7%

10%

78%


Large(250+)

Medium(50–249)

Small(1–49)

2006 2007

50%

58%

60%

63%

48%

71%

% of respondents

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Privatesector

services

Production

Construction


and health

2006 2007

63%

75%

55%

50%

43%

63%

46%

64%


% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100


others




2%

37% 59%

4%

15% 73% 12%

Figure 3Proportion of respondents selecting slips

and trips as a main priority, by organisation

size – waves 1 and 2

9

Don’t know 11%

No 57%

Yes 32%

0 20 40

% of respondents

60 80 100

Respiratoryproblems

Hand–armvibration

Skinproblems


Vehicularaccidents

Falls fromheight

Stress

Backproblems

Slips andtrips

2006 2007

90%

88%

83%

80%

70%

66%

64%

58%

59%

57%

64%

56%

44%

42%

42%

36%

34%

29%

Respiratoryproblems

Skinproblems

Hand–armvibration


Vehicularaccidents

Stress

Falls fromheight

Backproblems

Slips andtrips

% of respondents0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

2006 2007

61%

69%

53%

56%

41%

39%

37%

36%

28%

35%

21%

21%

16%

13%

9%

9%

8%

7%

% of respondents

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

2006 2007

52%

64%

68%

59%

Large(250+)

Medium(50–249)

Small(1–49)

67%

72%

% of respondents0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Privatesector

services

Production

Construction


and health

2006 2007

57%

66%

60%

79%

70%

67%

60%

68%


% of respondents0 20 40 60 80 100

Respiratoryproblems

Falls fromheight

Skinproblems


Vehicularaccidents

Hand–armvibration

Slips andtrips

Backproblems

Stress 62% 29% 8%

36% 52% 12%

32% 55% 13%

28% 50% 22%

28% 56% 17%

26% 50% 24%

20% 44% 37%

18% 55% 26%

16% 33% 51%


% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100

2006

2007

29% 57% 13%

31% 55% 13%

% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100


2007

2006 6% 32% 58% 4%

7% 35% 52% 6%


% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100

Large(250+)

Medium(50–249)

Small(1–49)

6% 60% 29% 5%

6% 63% 28%

4%

12% 59% 23% 6%


% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100

Privatesector

services

Construction

Production


and health8% 61% 25% 6%

8% 63% 26%

3%

8% 61% 28%

3%

5% 58% 31% 6%

% of respondents0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90





for us










organisation




2006 2007

73%

72%

53%

43%

49%

56%

60%

60%

83%

81%

67%

67%


Withinthe lastyear




% of respondents0 20 40 60 80 100

2006

2007 44% 19%

4%

30%

3%

41% 18%

5%

32%

4%


Withinthe lastyear




% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100

2006

2007

3%

21% 15% 60%

2%

5%

20% 13% 60%

2%



Othermethod

Methodrecommended

by HSE

2006 2007

12%

15%

78%

7%

10%

78%


Large(250+)

Medium(50–249)

Small(1–49)

2006 2007

50%

58%

60%

63%

48%

71%

% of respondents

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Privatesector

services

Production

Construction


and health

2006 2007

63%

75%

55%

50%

43%

63%

46%

64%


% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100


others




2%

37% 59%

4%

15% 73% 12%

a main priority. However, the increase in the proportion selecting slips andtrips between the two waves of the survey is proportionately greater for thesmallest firms. An increase was seen for all size groups. Similarly, there wereincreases across all industry sectors. See Appendix 3 for the relevant cross-tabulations.

1.2 How do members think their organisations are doing on slips andtrips?As a way of gauging current performance on tackling slips and tripscompared to other hazards, respondents were asked to choose one of threeoptions to describe current conditions. These were:A We have looked at this, but still have more work to do to tackle it.B There is still a small amount of work to do to minimise this risk

completely.C We are now fully effective in dealing with this issue.

Figure 5 shows the distribution of responses both for slips and trips and fora selection of other hazards. It shows that stress stands out as an area whereIOSH members clearly feel that there is more to do, while slips and trips areon a par with back problems. Only 13 per cent of respondents think thattheir organisation is fully effective in controlling the risk of slips and trips.

Comparing the results from wave 1 and wave 2 on controlling the risk ofslips and trips (see Figure 6), the distribution is very similar. However, there isa slight shift away from ‘small amount to do’ to the lowest control level of‘more to do’. This mirrors findings from other HSE working condition

Figure 4Proportion of respondents selecting slips

and trips as a main priority, by industry

group – waves 1 and 2

10

surveys, which show an increased awareness of the risk of slips and trips,accompanied by an increased recognition of the work needed to control therisk.

The larger the workplace, the more likely respondents are to select the optionof ‘more to do’ on slips and trips (rising from 26 per cent for those with 1–49employees to 38 per cent in workplaces with 250+ employees). This mayreflect the fact that larger sites present greater and more varied risks.

Don’t know 11%

No 57%

Yes 32%

0 20 40

% of respondents

60 80 100

Respiratoryproblems

Hand–armvibration

Skinproblems


Vehicularaccidents

Falls fromheight

Stress

Backproblems

Slips andtrips

2006 2007

90%

88%

83%

80%

70%

66%

64%

58%

59%

57%

64%

56%

44%

42%

42%

36%

34%

29%

Respiratoryproblems

Skinproblems

Hand–armvibration


Vehicularaccidents

Stress

Falls fromheight

Backproblems

Slips andtrips

% of respondents0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

2006 2007

61%

69%

53%

56%

41%

39%

37%

36%

28%

35%

21%

21%

16%

13%

9%

9%

8%

7%

% of respondents

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

2006 2007

52%

64%

68%

59%

Large(250+)

Medium(50–249)

Small(1–49)

67%

72%

% of respondents0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Privatesector

services

Production

Construction


and health

2006 2007

57%

66%

60%

79%

70%

67%

60%

68%


% of respondents0 20 40 60 80 100

Respiratoryproblems

Falls fromheight

Skinproblems


Vehicularaccidents

Hand–armvibration

Slips andtrips

Backproblems

Stress 62% 29% 8%

36% 52% 12%

32% 55% 13%

28% 50% 22%

28% 56% 17%

26% 50% 24%

20% 44% 37%

18% 55% 26%

16% 33% 51%


% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100

2006

2007

29% 57% 13%

31% 55% 13%

% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100


2007

2006 6% 32% 58% 4%

7% 35% 52% 6%


% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100

Large(250+)

Medium(50–249)

Small(1–49)

6% 60% 29% 5%

6% 63% 28%

4%

12% 59% 23% 6%


% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100

Privatesector

services

Construction

Production


and health8% 61% 25% 6%

8% 63% 26%

3%

8% 61% 28%

3%

5% 58% 31% 6%

% of respondents0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90





for us










organisation




2006 2007

73%

72%

53%

43%

49%

56%

60%

60%

83%

81%

67%

67%


Withinthe lastyear




% of respondents0 20 40 60 80 100

2006

2007 44% 19%

4%

30%

3%

41% 18%

5%

32%

4%


Withinthe lastyear




% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100

2006

2007

3%

21% 15% 60%

2%

5%

20% 13% 60%

2%



Othermethod

Methodrecommended

by HSE

2006 2007

12%

15%

78%

7%

10%

78%


Large(250+)

Medium(50–249)

Small(1–49)

2006 2007

50%

58%

60%

63%

48%

71%

% of respondents

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Privatesector

services

Production

Construction


and health

2006 2007

63%

75%

55%

50%

43%

63%

46%

64%


% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100


others




2%

37% 59%

4%

15% 73% 12%

Figure 5Current control of risks (see question 7 in

Appendix B)

Don’t know 11%

No 57%

Yes 32%

0 20 40

% of respondents

60 80 100

Respiratoryproblems

Hand–armvibration

Skinproblems


Vehicularaccidents

Falls fromheight

Stress

Backproblems

Slips andtrips

2006 2007

90%

88%

83%

80%

70%

66%

64%

58%

59%

57%

64%

56%

44%

42%

42%

36%

34%

29%

Respiratoryproblems

Skinproblems

Hand–armvibration


Vehicularaccidents

Stress

Falls fromheight

Backproblems

Slips andtrips

% of respondents0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

2006 2007

61%

69%

53%

56%

41%

39%

37%

36%

28%

35%

21%

21%

16%

13%

9%

9%

8%

7%

% of respondents

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

2006 2007

52%

64%

68%

59%

Large(250+)

Medium(50–249)

Small(1–49)

67%

72%

% of respondents0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Privatesector

services

Production

Construction


and health

2006 2007

57%

66%

60%

79%

70%

67%

60%

68%


% of respondents0 20 40 60 80 100

Respiratoryproblems

Falls fromheight

Skinproblems


Vehicularaccidents

Hand–armvibration

Slips andtrips

Backproblems

Stress 62% 29% 8%

36% 52% 12%

32% 55% 13%

28% 50% 22%

28% 56% 17%

26% 50% 24%

20% 44% 37%

18% 55% 26%

16% 33% 51%


% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100

2006

2007

29% 57% 13%

31% 55% 13%

% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100


2007

2006 6% 32% 58% 4%

7% 35% 52% 6%


% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100

Large(250+)

Medium(50–249)

Small(1–49)

6% 60% 29% 5%

6% 63% 28%

4%

12% 59% 23% 6%


% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100

Privatesector

services

Construction

Production


and health8% 61% 25% 6%

8% 63% 26%

3%

8% 61% 28%

3%

5% 58% 31% 6%

% of respondents0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90





for us










organisation




2006 2007

73%

72%

53%

43%

49%

56%

60%

60%

83%

81%

67%

67%


Withinthe lastyear




% of respondents0 20 40 60 80 100

2006

2007 44% 19%

4%

30%

3%

41% 18%

5%

32%

4%


Withinthe lastyear




% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100

2006

2007

3%

21% 15% 60%

2%

5%

20% 13% 60%

2%



Othermethod

Methodrecommended

by HSE

2006 2007

12%

15%

78%

7%

10%

78%


Large(250+)

Medium(50–249)

Small(1–49)

2006 2007

50%

58%

60%

63%

48%

71%

% of respondents

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Privatesector

services

Production

Construction


and health

2006 2007

63%

75%

55%

50%

43%

63%

46%

64%


% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100


others




2%

37% 59%

4%

15% 73% 12%

Figure 6Control of slip and trip risks – waves 1 and 2

(see question 7 in Appendix B)

11

Respondents were asked to what extent best practice on slips and trips wasadopted in their workplaces. Figures 8 and 9 show the results by size andindustry, respectively. Small firms are most likely to say that they always followbest practice. By industry, respondents working in the private services sectorare slightly less likely to claim best practice is followed always or mostly,compared to those in production and construction. The distribution ofresponses changed very little between waves 1 and 2 of the survey.

Don’t know 11%

No 57%

Yes 32%

0 20 40

% of respondents

60 80 100

Respiratoryproblems

Hand–armvibration

Skinproblems


Vehicularaccidents

Falls fromheight

Stress

Backproblems

Slips andtrips

2006 2007

90%

88%

83%

80%

70%

66%

64%

58%

59%

57%

64%

56%

44%

42%

42%

36%

34%

29%

Respiratoryproblems

Skinproblems

Hand–armvibration


Vehicularaccidents

Stress

Falls fromheight

Backproblems

Slips andtrips

% of respondents0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

2006 2007

61%

69%

53%

56%

41%

39%

37%

36%

28%

35%

21%

21%

16%

13%

9%

9%

8%

7%

% of respondents

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

2006 2007

52%

64%

68%

59%

Large(250+)

Medium(50–249)

Small(1–49)

67%

72%

% of respondents0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Privatesector

services

Production

Construction


and health

2006 2007

57%

66%

60%

79%

70%

67%

60%

68%


% of respondents0 20 40 60 80 100

Respiratoryproblems

Falls fromheight

Skinproblems


Vehicularaccidents

Hand–armvibration

Slips andtrips

Backproblems

Stress 62% 29% 8%

36% 52% 12%

32% 55% 13%

28% 50% 22%

28% 56% 17%

26% 50% 24%

20% 44% 37%

18% 55% 26%

16% 33% 51%


% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100

2006

2007

29% 57% 13%

31% 55% 13%

% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100


2007

2006 6% 32% 58% 4%

7% 35% 52% 6%


% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100

Large(250+)

Medium(50–249)

Small(1–49)

6% 60% 29% 5%

6% 63% 28%

4%

12% 59% 23% 6%


% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100

Privatesector

services

Construction

Production


and health8% 61% 25% 6%

8% 63% 26%

3%

8% 61% 28%

3%

5% 58% 31% 6%

% of respondents0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90





for us










organisation




2006 2007

73%

72%

53%

43%

49%

56%

60%

60%

83%

81%

67%

67%


Withinthe lastyear




% of respondents0 20 40 60 80 100

2006

2007 44% 19%

4%

30%

3%

41% 18%

5%

32%

4%


Withinthe lastyear




% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100

2006

2007

3%

21% 15% 60%

2%

5%

20% 13% 60%

2%



Othermethod

Methodrecommended

by HSE

2006 2007

12%

15%

78%

7%

10%

78%


Large(250+)

Medium(50–249)

Small(1–49)

2006 2007

50%

58%

60%

63%

48%

71%

% of respondents

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Privatesector

services

Production

Construction


and health

2006 2007

63%

75%

55%

50%

43%

63%

46%

64%


% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100


others




2%

37% 59%

4%

15% 73% 12%

There were also differences by sector, with the public administration andhealth sector least likely to think that they are fully compliant (9 per cent)and most likely to think that there is more to do (40 per cent). In contrast,respondents in the production sector are slightly more likely to feel ‘fullyeffective’ (14 per cent) and less likely to think that there is more to do (26per cent).

At the end of the questionnaire, respondents were asked how much moretheir organisation could do to reduce the slips and trips risk, which isobviously related to their view of the current level of control. The results inFigure 7 show that 42 per cent said ‘a lot more’ or ‘a fair amount more’ in2007, compared with 38 per cent in 2006.

Figure 8Extent to which good practice on slips and

trips is adopted in your organisation, by size

of firm (see Table A1 in Appendix C)

Don’t know 11%

No 57%

Yes 32%

0 20 40

% of respondents

60 80 100

Respiratoryproblems

Hand–armvibration

Skinproblems


Vehicularaccidents

Falls fromheight

Stress

Backproblems

Slips andtrips

2006 2007

90%

88%

83%

80%

70%

66%

64%

58%

59%

57%

64%

56%

44%

42%

42%

36%

34%

29%

Respiratoryproblems

Skinproblems

Hand–armvibration


Vehicularaccidents

Stress

Falls fromheight

Backproblems

Slips andtrips

% of respondents0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

2006 2007

61%

69%

53%

56%

41%

39%

37%

36%

28%

35%

21%

21%

16%

13%

9%

9%

8%

7%

% of respondents

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

2006 2007

52%

64%

68%

59%

Large(250+)

Medium(50–249)

Small(1–49)

67%

72%

% of respondents0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Privatesector

services

Production

Construction


and health

2006 2007

57%

66%

60%

79%

70%

67%

60%

68%


% of respondents0 20 40 60 80 100

Respiratoryproblems

Falls fromheight

Skinproblems


Vehicularaccidents

Hand–armvibration

Slips andtrips

Backproblems

Stress 62% 29% 8%

36% 52% 12%

32% 55% 13%

28% 50% 22%

28% 56% 17%

26% 50% 24%

20% 44% 37%

18% 55% 26%

16% 33% 51%


% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100

2006

2007

29% 57% 13%

31% 55% 13%

% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100


2007

2006 6% 32% 58% 4%

7% 35% 52% 6%


% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100

Large(250+)

Medium(50–249)

Small(1–49)

6% 60% 29% 5%

6% 63% 28%

4%

12% 59% 23% 6%


% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100

Privatesector

services

Construction

Production


and health8% 61% 25% 6%

8% 63% 26%

3%

8% 61% 28%

3%

5% 58% 31% 6%

% of respondents0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90





for us










organisation




2006 2007

73%

72%

53%

43%

49%

56%

60%

60%

83%

81%

67%

67%


Withinthe lastyear




% of respondents0 20 40 60 80 100

2006

2007 44% 19%

4%

30%

3%

41% 18%

5%

32%

4%


Withinthe lastyear




% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100

2006

2007

3%

21% 15% 60%

2%

5%

20% 13% 60%

2%



Othermethod

Methodrecommended

by HSE

2006 2007

12%

15%

78%

7%

10%

78%


Large(250+)

Medium(50–249)

Small(1–49)

2006 2007

50%

58%

60%

63%

48%

71%

% of respondents

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Privatesector

services

Production

Construction


and health

2006 2007

63%

75%

55%

50%

43%

63%

46%

64%


% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100


others




2%

37% 59%

4%

15% 73% 12%

Figure 7How much more could your organisation do

to reduce the risk of slips and trips? –

waves 1 and 2 (see question 18 in

Appendix B)

12

1.3 Attitudes towards slips and tripsRespondents were asked for their views on the extent to which they agreed ordisagreed with a series of statements about slips and trip. Each statement wason a five-point scale, ranging from ‘strongly agree’ to ‘strongly disagree’.Figure 10 shows the proportion who said either ‘strongly agree’ or ‘tend toagree’ to each statement in each wave of the survey. Overall, there was verylittle change in the percentages over the two waves.

Over 80 per cent of respondents agree that their organisation is fullycommitted to reducing the risk of slips and trips. This has increased slightlysince 2006. Two-thirds feel that other hazards are a higher priority in theirorganisation. The proportion who agree that they have all the informationthey need has reduced slightly, which could correlate with an increasedawareness of the amount of work there is to do. There was a significantincrease in the proportion of respondents agreeing that they have difficultiesadopting new slip and trip initiatives consistently across their organisation.Understandably, respondents from larger organisations are more likely toagree that they have difficulty getting initiatives adopted consistently.

2 Control measures

2.1 What control measures are used?In Section 1, we outlined what the survey tells us about the general picture onslips and trips at members’ workplaces and about attitudes towards the issue.This section looks more closely at specific measures to control risk that membersmay or may not be using.

First, respondents were shown a list of different measures to control risk. Theywere then asked to say which, if any, were in place where they worked. Table 5(see page 14) shows responses ranked in order for 2006 and 2007. The finalcolumn in the table indicates whether there was a statistically significant changebetween waves 1 and 2.

The three most selected measures are about persuading workers to be aware ofand to tackle different risks. The top two showed significant increases betweenwaves 1 and 2. In line with other surveys that the HSE has conducted on theissue, more tangible activities such as setting targets and testing flooringmaterials tend to appear further down the list of actions taken.

Don’t know 11%

No 57%

Yes 32%

0 20 40

% of respondents

60 80 100

Respiratoryproblems

Hand–armvibration

Skinproblems


Vehicularaccidents

Falls fromheight

Stress

Backproblems

Slips andtrips

2006 2007

90%

88%

83%

80%

70%

66%

64%

58%

59%

57%

64%

56%

44%

42%

42%

36%

34%

29%

Respiratoryproblems

Skinproblems

Hand–armvibration


Vehicularaccidents

Stress

Falls fromheight

Backproblems

Slips andtrips

% of respondents0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

2006 2007

61%

69%

53%

56%

41%

39%

37%

36%

28%

35%

21%

21%

16%

13%

9%

9%

8%

7%

% of respondents

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

2006 2007

52%

64%

68%

59%

Large(250+)

Medium(50–249)

Small(1–49)

67%

72%

% of respondents0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Privatesector

services

Production

Construction


and health

2006 2007

57%

66%

60%

79%

70%

67%

60%

68%


% of respondents0 20 40 60 80 100

Respiratoryproblems

Falls fromheight

Skinproblems


Vehicularaccidents

Hand–armvibration

Slips andtrips

Backproblems

Stress 62% 29% 8%

36% 52% 12%

32% 55% 13%

28% 50% 22%

28% 56% 17%

26% 50% 24%

20% 44% 37%

18% 55% 26%

16% 33% 51%


% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100

2006

2007

29% 57% 13%

31% 55% 13%

% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100


2007

2006 6% 32% 58% 4%

7% 35% 52% 6%


% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100

Large(250+)

Medium(50–249)

Small(1–49)

6% 60% 29% 5%

6% 63% 28%

4%

12% 59% 23% 6%


% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100

Privatesector

services

Construction

Production


and health8% 61% 25% 6%

8% 63% 26%

3%

8% 61% 28%

3%

5% 58% 31% 6%

% of respondents0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90





for us










organisation




2006 2007

73%

72%

53%

43%

49%

56%

60%

60%

83%

81%

67%

67%


Withinthe lastyear




% of respondents0 20 40 60 80 100

2006

2007 44% 19%

4%

30%

3%

41% 18%

5%

32%

4%


Withinthe lastyear




% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100

2006

2007

3%

21% 15% 60%

2%

5%

20% 13% 60%

2%



Othermethod

Methodrecommended

by HSE

2006 2007

12%

15%

78%

7%

10%

78%


Large(250+)

Medium(50–249)

Small(1–49)

2006 2007

50%

58%

60%

63%

48%

71%

% of respondents

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Privatesector

services

Production

Construction


and health

2006 2007

63%

75%

55%

50%

43%

63%

46%

64%


% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100


others




2%

37% 59%

4%

15% 73% 12%

Figure 9Extent to which good practice on slips and

trips is adopted in your organisation, by

industry group (see Table A2 in Appendix C)

13

Don’t know 11%

No 57%

Yes 32%

0 20 40

% of respondents

60 80 100

Respiratoryproblems

Hand–armvibration

Skinproblems


Vehicularaccidents

Falls fromheight

Stress

Backproblems

Slips andtrips

2006 2007

90%

88%

83%

80%

70%

66%

64%

58%

59%

57%

64%

56%

44%

42%

42%

36%

34%

29%

Respiratoryproblems

Skinproblems

Hand–armvibration


Vehicularaccidents

Stress

Falls fromheight

Backproblems

Slips andtrips

% of respondents0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

2006 2007

61%

69%

53%

56%

41%

39%

37%

36%

28%

35%

21%

21%

16%

13%

9%

9%

8%

7%

% of respondents

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

2006 2007

52%

64%

68%

59%

Large(250+)

Medium(50–249)

Small(1–49)

67%

72%

% of respondents0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Privatesector

services

Production

Construction


and health

2006 2007

57%

66%

60%

79%

70%

67%

60%

68%


% of respondents0 20 40 60 80 100

Respiratoryproblems

Falls fromheight

Skinproblems


Vehicularaccidents

Hand–armvibration

Slips andtrips

Backproblems

Stress 62% 29% 8%

36% 52% 12%

32% 55% 13%

28% 50% 22%

28% 56% 17%

26% 50% 24%

20% 44% 37%

18% 55% 26%

16% 33% 51%


% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100

2006

2007

29% 57% 13%

31% 55% 13%

% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100


2007

2006 6% 32% 58% 4%

7% 35% 52% 6%


% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100

Large(250+)

Medium(50–249)

Small(1–49)

6% 60% 29% 5%

6% 63% 28%

4%

12% 59% 23% 6%


% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100

Privatesector

services

Construction

Production


and health8% 61% 25% 6%

8% 63% 26%

3%

8% 61% 28%

3%

5% 58% 31% 6%

% of respondents0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90





for us










organisation




2006 2007

73%

72%

53%

43%

49%

56%

60%

60%

83%

81%

67%

67%


Withinthe lastyear




% of respondents0 20 40 60 80 100

2006

2007 44% 19%

4%

30%

3%

41% 18%

5%

32%

4%


Withinthe lastyear




% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100

2006

2007

3%

21% 15% 60%

2%

5%

20% 13% 60%

2%



Othermethod

Methodrecommended

by HSE

2006 2007

12%

15%

78%

7%

10%

78%


Large(250+)

Medium(50–249)

Small(1–49)

2006 2007

50%

58%

60%

63%

48%

71%

% of respondents

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Privatesector

services

Production

Construction


and health

2006 2007

63%

75%

55%

50%

43%

63%

46%

64%


% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100


others




2%

37% 59%

4%

15% 73% 12%

2.2 Questions on specific control measuresLooking at the use of some of the control measures in more depth, Figure11 shows that 63 per cent of respondents claim to have provided trainingto raise awareness about slip and trip risks in the past year – an increasefrom 59 per cent in 2006 (see Figure 11).

Figure 12 shows that one in five respondents said that they had reviewed theircleaning system to minimise slips and trips in the past six months, rising to onein three over the past year. Sixty per cent either said they didn’t know whenthey last reviewed systems or didn’t answer the question, suggesting that theyhadn’t reviewed it for some time. The proportion saying they reviewed their

Figure 10Attitudes to slips and trips – waves 1 and 2


14

Table 5Control measures used by respondents

Figure 11When did you last provide training to

workers? (see question 10 in Appendix B)

cleaning system in the past year increased slightly, which is encouraging asthis has been a focus of the HSE’s communications about slips and trips.

Respondents who claimed that they tested the slipperiness of flooring (22per cent) were then asked which methods they used. The two methodsrecommended by the HSE are the Pendulum test and the Surtronic Duosurface roughness meter test. Both of these are advised in the HSE’s SlipsAssessment Tool (SAT) software package (www.hsesat.info). Figure 13shows the proportion of respondents who said they either used the SAT orone of the specific recommended tests, and the proportion using other

Don’t know 11%

No 57%

Yes 32%

0 20 40

% of respondents

60 80 100

Respiratoryproblems

Hand–armvibration

Skinproblems


Vehicularaccidents

Falls fromheight

Stress

Backproblems

Slips andtrips

2006 2007

90%

88%

83%

80%

70%

66%

64%

58%

59%

57%

64%

56%

44%

42%

42%

36%

34%

29%

Respiratoryproblems

Skinproblems

Hand–armvibration


Vehicularaccidents

Stress

Falls fromheight

Backproblems

Slips andtrips

% of respondents0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

2006 2007

61%

69%

53%

56%

41%

39%

37%

36%

28%

35%

21%

21%

16%

13%

9%

9%

8%

7%

% of respondents

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

2006 2007

52%

64%

68%

59%

Large(250+)

Medium(50–249)

Small(1–49)

67%

72%

% of respondents0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Privatesector

services

Production

Construction


and health

2006 2007

57%

66%

60%

79%

70%

67%

60%

68%


% of respondents0 20 40 60 80 100

Respiratoryproblems

Falls fromheight

Skinproblems


Vehicularaccidents

Hand–armvibration

Slips andtrips

Backproblems

Stress 62% 29% 8%

36% 52% 12%

32% 55% 13%

28% 50% 22%

28% 56% 17%

26% 50% 24%

20% 44% 37%

18% 55% 26%

16% 33% 51%


% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100

2006

2007

29% 57% 13%

31% 55% 13%

% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100


2007

2006 6% 32% 58% 4%

7% 35% 52% 6%


% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100

Large(250+)

Medium(50–249)

Small(1–49)

6% 60% 29% 5%

6% 63% 28%

4%

12% 59% 23% 6%


% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100

Privatesector

services

Construction

Production


and health8% 61% 25% 6%

8% 63% 26%

3%

8% 61% 28%

3%

5% 58% 31% 6%

% of respondents0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90





for us










organisation




2006 2007

73%

72%

53%

43%

49%

56%

60%

60%

83%

81%

67%

67%


Withinthe lastyear




% of respondents0 20 40 60 80 100

2006

2007 44% 19%

4%

30%

3%

41% 18%

5%

32%

4%


Withinthe lastyear




% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100

2006

2007

3%

21% 15% 60%

2%

5%

20% 13% 60%

2%



Othermethod

Methodrecommended

by HSE

2006 2007

12%

15%

78%

7%

10%

78%


Large(250+)

Medium(50–249)

Small(1–49)

2006 2007

50%

58%

60%

63%

48%

71%

% of respondents

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Privatesector

services

Production

Construction


and health

2006 2007

63%

75%

55%

50%

43%

63%

46%

64%


% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100


others




2%

37% 59%

4%

15% 73% 12%

What else would be helpful? 2006 (%) 2007 (%)Significantchange?

Asking workers to keep things tidy and

clean up89 91 Yes

Raising workers’ awareness of slips and trips

prevention80 80 Yes

Using warning signs if flooring is damaged,

contaminated or being cleaned79 82 No

Considering slip and trip risks when

designing plant or work activities60 57 No

Consulting workers about slip and trip

hazards51 56 Yes

Providing workers with slip-resistant footwear 53 53 No

Having a cleaning system that takes into

account the need to reduce slip and trip risks50 51 No

Carrying out formal slip and trip risk

assessments45 42 No

Testing the slipperiness of flooring materials 24 22 No

Setting targets for reducing slips and trips 17 15 No

15

Figure 12When did you last review your cleaning

system? (see question 11 in Appendix B)

Figure 13What methods have you used to test the

slipperiness of your flooring materials?

(see questions 8 and 9 in Appendix B)


types of test. Although the overall proportion that test the slipperiness offloors has not changed, which is disappointing, the proportion of thosethat test using an HSE-recommended method increased significantly overthe year. The challenge now is to encourage more employers to formallytest the slip resistance of their floors.

Figures 14 and 15 show the proportion of respondents using an HSE-recommended testing method (of those that do test) by size and industry,respectively. All groups saw an increase over the year, but small firms andthose working in the construction sector are less likely to use one.

Don’t know 11%

No 57%

Yes 32%

0 20 40

% of respondents

60 80 100

Respiratoryproblems

Hand–armvibration

Skinproblems


Vehicularaccidents

Falls fromheight

Stress

Backproblems

Slips andtrips

2006 2007

90%

88%

83%

80%

70%

66%

64%

58%

59%

57%

64%

56%

44%

42%

42%

36%

34%

29%

Respiratoryproblems

Skinproblems

Hand–armvibration


Vehicularaccidents

Stress

Falls fromheight

Backproblems

Slips andtrips

% of respondents0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

2006 2007

61%

69%

53%

56%

41%

39%

37%

36%

28%

35%

21%

21%

16%

13%

9%

9%

8%

7%

% of respondents

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

2006 2007

52%

64%

68%

59%

Large(250+)

Medium(50–249)

Small(1–49)

67%

72%

% of respondents0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Privatesector

services

Production

Construction


and health

2006 2007

57%

66%

60%

79%

70%

67%

60%

68%


% of respondents0 20 40 60 80 100

Respiratoryproblems

Falls fromheight

Skinproblems


Vehicularaccidents

Hand–armvibration

Slips andtrips

Backproblems

Stress 62% 29% 8%

36% 52% 12%

32% 55% 13%

28% 50% 22%

28% 56% 17%

26% 50% 24%

20% 44% 37%

18% 55% 26%

16% 33% 51%


% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100

2006

2007

29% 57% 13%

31% 55% 13%

% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100


2007

2006 6% 32% 58% 4%

7% 35% 52% 6%


% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100

Large(250+)

Medium(50–249)

Small(1–49)

6% 60% 29% 5%

6% 63% 28%

4%

12% 59% 23% 6%


% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100

Privatesector

services

Construction

Production


and health8% 61% 25% 6%

8% 63% 26%

3%

8% 61% 28%

3%

5% 58% 31% 6%

% of respondents0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90





for us










organisation




2006 2007

73%

72%

53%

43%

49%

56%

60%

60%

83%

81%

67%

67%


Withinthe lastyear




% of respondents0 20 40 60 80 100

2006

2007 44% 19%

4%

30%

3%

41% 18%

5%

32%

4%


Withinthe lastyear




% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100

2006

2007

3%

21% 15% 60%

2%

5%

20% 13% 60%

2%



Othermethod

Methodrecommended

by HSE

2006 2007

12%

15%

78%

7%

10%

78%


Large(250+)

Medium(50–249)

Small(1–49)

2006 2007

50%

58%

60%

63%

48%

71%

% of respondents

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Privatesector

services

Production

Construction


and health

2006 2007

63%

75%

55%

50%

43%

63%

46%

64%


% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100


others




2%

37% 59%

4%

15% 73% 12%

Don’t know 11%

No 57%

Yes 32%

0 20 40

% of respondents

60 80 100

Respiratoryproblems

Hand–armvibration

Skinproblems


Vehicularaccidents

Falls fromheight

Stress

Backproblems

Slips andtrips

2006 2007

90%

88%

83%

80%

70%

66%

64%

58%

59%

57%

64%

56%

44%

42%

42%

36%

34%

29%

Respiratoryproblems

Skinproblems

Hand–armvibration


Vehicularaccidents

Stress

Falls fromheight

Backproblems

Slips andtrips

% of respondents0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

2006 2007

61%

69%

53%

56%

41%

39%

37%

36%

28%

35%

21%

21%

16%

13%

9%

9%

8%

7%

% of respondents

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

2006 2007

52%

64%

68%

59%

Large(250+)

Medium(50–249)

Small(1–49)

67%

72%

% of respondents0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Privatesector

services

Production

Construction


and health

2006 2007

57%

66%

60%

79%

70%

67%

60%

68%


% of respondents0 20 40 60 80 100

Respiratoryproblems

Falls fromheight

Skinproblems


Vehicularaccidents

Hand–armvibration

Slips andtrips

Backproblems

Stress 62% 29% 8%

36% 52% 12%

32% 55% 13%

28% 50% 22%

28% 56% 17%

26% 50% 24%

20% 44% 37%

18% 55% 26%

16% 33% 51%


% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100

2006

2007

29% 57% 13%

31% 55% 13%

% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100


2007

2006 6% 32% 58% 4%

7% 35% 52% 6%


% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100

Large(250+)

Medium(50–249)

Small(1–49)

6% 60% 29% 5%

6% 63% 28%

4%

12% 59% 23% 6%


% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100

Privatesector

services

Construction

Production


and health8% 61% 25% 6%

8% 63% 26%

3%

8% 61% 28%

3%

5% 58% 31% 6%

% of respondents0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90





for us










organisation




2006 2007

73%

72%

53%

43%

49%

56%

60%

60%

83%

81%

67%

67%


Withinthe lastyear




% of respondents0 20 40 60 80 100

2006

2007 44% 19%

4%

30%

3%

41% 18%

5%

32%

4%


Withinthe lastyear




% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100

2006

2007

3%

21% 15% 60%

2%

5%

20% 13% 60%

2%



Othermethod

Methodrecommended

by HSE

2006 2007

12%

15%

78%

7%

10%

78%


Large(250+)

Medium(50–249)

Small(1–49)

2006 2007

50%

58%

60%

63%

48%

71%

% of respondents

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Privatesector

services

Production

Construction


and health

2006 2007

63%

75%

55%

50%

43%

63%

46%

64%


% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100


others




2%

37% 59%

4%

15% 73% 12%

16

Figure 14Proportion of respondents who test the

slipperiness of flooring materials using an

HSE-recommended method, by organisation

size

2.3 Changes in the last six monthsThe final set of questions on control measures asked respondents whethertheir organisation had made any changes to the way it manages the risk ofslipping or tripping in the past six months.

Figure 15Proportion of respondents who test the

slipperiness of flooring materials using an

HSE-recommended method, by industry

group

Don’t know 11%

No 57%

Yes 32%

0 20 40

% of respondents

60 80 100

Respiratoryproblems

Hand–armvibration

Skinproblems


Vehicularaccidents

Falls fromheight

Stress

Backproblems

Slips andtrips

2006 2007

90%

88%

83%

80%

70%

66%

64%

58%

59%

57%

64%

56%

44%

42%

42%

36%

34%

29%

Respiratoryproblems

Skinproblems

Hand–armvibration


Vehicularaccidents

Stress

Falls fromheight

Backproblems

Slips andtrips

% of respondents0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

2006 2007

61%

69%

53%

56%

41%

39%

37%

36%

28%

35%

21%

21%

16%

13%

9%

9%

8%

7%

% of respondents

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

2006 2007

52%

64%

68%

59%

Large(250+)

Medium(50–249)

Small(1–49)

67%

72%

% of respondents0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Privatesector

services

Production

Construction


and health

2006 2007

57%

66%

60%

79%

70%

67%

60%

68%


% of respondents0 20 40 60 80 100

Respiratoryproblems

Falls fromheight

Skinproblems


Vehicularaccidents

Hand–armvibration

Slips andtrips

Backproblems

Stress 62% 29% 8%

36% 52% 12%

32% 55% 13%

28% 50% 22%

28% 56% 17%

26% 50% 24%

20% 44% 37%

18% 55% 26%

16% 33% 51%


% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100

2006

2007

29% 57% 13%

31% 55% 13%

% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100


2007

2006 6% 32% 58% 4%

7% 35% 52% 6%


% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100

Large(250+)

Medium(50–249)

Small(1–49)

6% 60% 29% 5%

6% 63% 28%

4%

12% 59% 23% 6%


% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100

Privatesector

services

Construction

Production


and health8% 61% 25% 6%

8% 63% 26%

3%

8% 61% 28%

3%

5% 58% 31% 6%

% of respondents0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90





for us










organisation




2006 2007

73%

72%

53%

43%

49%

56%

60%

60%

83%

81%

67%

67%


Withinthe lastyear




% of respondents0 20 40 60 80 100

2006

2007 44% 19%

4%

30%

3%

41% 18%

5%

32%

4%


Withinthe lastyear




% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100

2006

2007

3%

21% 15% 60%

2%

5%

20% 13% 60%

2%



Othermethod

Methodrecommended

by HSE

2006 2007

12%

15%

78%

7%

10%

78%


Large(250+)

Medium(50–249)

Small(1–49)

2006 2007

50%

58%

60%

63%

48%

71%

% of respondents

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Privatesector

services

Production

Construction


and health

2006 2007

63%

75%

55%

50%

43%

63%

46%

64%


% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100


others




2%

37% 59%

4%

15% 73% 12%

Don’t know 11%

No 57%

Yes 32%

0 20 40

% of respondents

60 80 100

Respiratoryproblems

Hand–armvibration

Skinproblems


Vehicularaccidents

Falls fromheight

Stress

Backproblems

Slips andtrips

2006 2007

90%

88%

83%

80%

70%

66%

64%

58%

59%

57%

64%

56%

44%

42%

42%

36%

34%

29%

Respiratoryproblems

Skinproblems

Hand–armvibration


Vehicularaccidents

Stress

Falls fromheight

Backproblems

Slips andtrips

% of respondents0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

2006 2007

61%

69%

53%

56%

41%

39%

37%

36%

28%

35%

21%

21%

16%

13%

9%

9%

8%

7%

% of respondents

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

2006 2007

52%

64%

68%

59%

Large(250+)

Medium(50–249)

Small(1–49)

67%

72%

% of respondents0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Privatesector

services

Production

Construction


and health

2006 2007

57%

66%

60%

79%

70%

67%

60%

68%


% of respondents0 20 40 60 80 100

Respiratoryproblems

Falls fromheight

Skinproblems


Vehicularaccidents

Hand–armvibration

Slips andtrips

Backproblems

Stress 62% 29% 8%

36% 52% 12%

32% 55% 13%

28% 50% 22%

28% 56% 17%

26% 50% 24%

20% 44% 37%

18% 55% 26%

16% 33% 51%


% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100

2006

2007

29% 57% 13%

31% 55% 13%

% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100


2007

2006 6% 32% 58% 4%

7% 35% 52% 6%


% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100

Large(250+)

Medium(50–249)

Small(1–49)

6% 60% 29% 5%

6% 63% 28%

4%

12% 59% 23% 6%


% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100

Privatesector

services

Construction

Production


and health8% 61% 25% 6%

8% 63% 26%

3%

8% 61% 28%

3%

5% 58% 31% 6%

% of respondents0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90





for us










organisation




2006 2007

73%

72%

53%

43%

49%

56%

60%

60%

83%

81%

67%

67%


Withinthe lastyear




% of respondents0 20 40 60 80 100

2006

2007 44% 19%

4%

30%

3%

41% 18%

5%

32%

4%


Withinthe lastyear




% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100

2006

2007

3%

21% 15% 60%

2%

5%

20% 13% 60%

2%



Othermethod

Methodrecommended

by HSE

2006 2007

12%

15%

78%

7%

10%

78%


Large(250+)

Medium(50–249)

Small(1–49)

2006 2007

50%

58%

60%

63%

48%

71%

% of respondents

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Privatesector

services

Production

Construction


and health

2006 2007

63%

75%

55%

50%

43%

63%

46%

64%


% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100


others




2%

37% 59%

4%

15% 73% 12%

17

Figure 16 shows that about one in three members have observed somechange (this is broadly consistent with the HSE’s annual Fit3 survey ofdutyholders and also with wave 1 results).

Don’t know 11%

No 57%

Yes 32%

0 20 40

% of respondents

60 80 100

Respiratoryproblems

Hand–armvibration

Skinproblems


Vehicularaccidents

Falls fromheight

Stress

Backproblems

Slips andtrips

2006 2007

90%

88%

83%

80%

70%

66%

64%

58%

59%

57%

64%

56%

44%

42%

42%

36%

34%

29%

Respiratoryproblems

Skinproblems

Hand–armvibration


Vehicularaccidents

Stress

Falls fromheight

Backproblems

Slips andtrips

% of respondents0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

2006 2007

61%

69%

53%

56%

41%

39%

37%

36%

28%

35%

21%

21%

16%

13%

9%

9%

8%

7%

% of respondents

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

2006 2007

52%

64%

68%

59%

Large(250+)

Medium(50–249)

Small(1–49)

67%

72%

% of respondents0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Privatesector

services

Production

Construction


and health

2006 2007

57%

66%

60%

79%

70%

67%

60%

68%


% of respondents0 20 40 60 80 100

Respiratoryproblems

Falls fromheight

Skinproblems


Vehicularaccidents

Hand–armvibration

Slips andtrips

Backproblems

Stress 62% 29% 8%

36% 52% 12%

32% 55% 13%

28% 50% 22%

28% 56% 17%

26% 50% 24%

20% 44% 37%

18% 55% 26%

16% 33% 51%


% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100

2006

2007

29% 57% 13%

31% 55% 13%

% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100


2007

2006 6% 32% 58% 4%

7% 35% 52% 6%


% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100

Large(250+)

Medium(50–249)

Small(1–49)

6% 60% 29% 5%

6% 63% 28%

4%

12% 59% 23% 6%


% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100

Privatesector

services

Construction

Production


and health8% 61% 25% 6%

8% 63% 26%

3%

8% 61% 28%

3%

5% 58% 31% 6%

% of respondents0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90





for us










organisation




2006 2007

73%

72%

53%

43%

49%

56%

60%

60%

83%

81%

67%

67%


Withinthe lastyear




% of respondents0 20 40 60 80 100

2006

2007 44% 19%

4%

30%

3%

41% 18%

5%

32%

4%


Withinthe lastyear




% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100

2006

2007

3%

21% 15% 60%

2%

5%

20% 13% 60%

2%



Othermethod

Methodrecommended

by HSE

2006 2007

12%

15%

78%

7%

10%

78%


Large(250+)

Medium(50–249)

Small(1–49)

2006 2007

50%

58%

60%

63%

48%

71%

% of respondents

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Privatesector

services

Production

Construction


and health

2006 2007

63%

75%

55%

50%

43%

63%

46%

64%


% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100


others




2%

37% 59%

4%

15% 73% 12%

Those who said they had made changes were asked to provide more details inthe form of a textual description. Using text analysis software to group similarresponses, the top 5 answers to ‘What changes have you made?’ were:• provided training and information (24 per cent)• increased risk assessments (11 per cent)• changed flooring (10 per cent)• changed housekeeping and cleaning practices (9 per cent)• monitored and analysed hazards (7 per cent).

3 Help and guidanceAs well as helping both the HSE and IOSH to better understand how slips andtrips are being managed across workplaces, the survey was also designed todiscover how else IOSH members might be helped to take the issue furtherforward. The final section of this report looks at how members currentlyreceive support and what extra support they think they need.

The HSE website and guidance materials are the main sources of informationabout slips and trips used by IOSH members. Nearly three-quarters ofrespondents had accessed the website for information and almost 60 per centconsidered this to be their most useful source. Among those who hadattended a seminar where slips and trips was included as an issue, the HSE andIOSH were the organisations most likely to have been the organiser of thatseminar. The responses were not significantly different from wave 1.

Respondents were specifically asked about the three main resources that theymight find useful to tackle slips and trips and whether they would welcomemore support. The results are shown in Figure 17. Over half felt that theyalready had enough guidance material that showed how to tackle risks, butfewer felt that they had enough on techniques for assessing risks and, inparticular, benchmarking information. This picture is largely unchanged fromwave 1.

Figure 16Have you changed the way you manage

slips and trips in the last six months?


18

Figure 17How much extra help is needed?


Don’t know 11%

No 57%

Yes 32%

0 20 40

% of respondents

60 80 100

Respiratoryproblems

Hand–armvibration

Skinproblems


Vehicularaccidents

Falls fromheight

Stress

Backproblems

Slips andtrips

2006 2007

90%

88%

83%

80%

70%

66%

64%

58%

59%

57%

64%

56%

44%

42%

42%

36%

34%

29%

Respiratoryproblems

Skinproblems

Hand–armvibration


Vehicularaccidents

Stress

Falls fromheight

Backproblems

Slips andtrips

% of respondents0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

2006 2007

61%

69%

53%

56%

41%

39%

37%

36%

28%

35%

21%

21%

16%

13%

9%

9%

8%

7%

% of respondents

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

2006 2007

52%

64%

68%

59%

Large(250+)

Medium(50–249)

Small(1–49)

67%

72%

% of respondents0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Privatesector

services

Production

Construction


and health

2006 2007

57%

66%

60%

79%

70%

67%

60%

68%


% of respondents0 20 40 60 80 100

Respiratoryproblems

Falls fromheight

Skinproblems


Vehicularaccidents

Hand–armvibration

Slips andtrips

Backproblems

Stress 62% 29% 8%

36% 52% 12%

32% 55% 13%

28% 50% 22%

28% 56% 17%

26% 50% 24%

20% 44% 37%

18% 55% 26%

16% 33% 51%


% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100

2006

2007

29% 57% 13%

31% 55% 13%

% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100


2007

2006 6% 32% 58% 4%

7% 35% 52% 6%


% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100

Large(250+)

Medium(50–249)

Small(1–49)

6% 60% 29% 5%

6% 63% 28%

4%

12% 59% 23% 6%


% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100

Privatesector

services

Construction

Production


and health8% 61% 25% 6%

8% 63% 26%

3%

8% 61% 28%

3%

5% 58% 31% 6%

% of respondents0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90





for us










organisation




2006 2007

73%

72%

53%

43%

49%

56%

60%

60%

83%

81%

67%

67%


Withinthe lastyear




% of respondents0 20 40 60 80 100

2006

2007 44% 19%

4%

30%

3%

41% 18%

5%

32%

4%


Withinthe lastyear




% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100

2006

2007

3%

21% 15% 60%

2%

5%

20% 13% 60%

2%



Othermethod

Methodrecommended

by HSE

2006 2007

12%

15%

78%

7%

10%

78%


Large(250+)

Medium(50–249)

Small(1–49)

2006 2007

50%

58%

60%

63%

48%

71%

% of respondents

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Privatesector

services

Production

Construction


and health

2006 2007

63%

75%

55%

50%

43%

63%

46%

64%


% of respondents

0 20 40 60 80 100


others




2%

37% 59%

4%

15% 73% 12%

Finally, respondents were asked what more the HSE could do to help theirorganisation to reduce the risk of slips and trips. Grouping the responsesusing text analysis software, the top 5 answers were:• continue to promote available information and reinforce the message (18

per cent)• provide more guidance and training (15 per cent)• carry out more inspection visits and enforcement (10 per cent)• give slips and trips a higher priority (6 per cent)• can do nothing more (5 per cent).

4 ConclusionsPerhaps not surprisingly, many of the responses to the survey have remainedstatistically unchanged between wave 1 and wave 2. However, encouragingly,where there have been movements, they have been in the right direction: ahigher proportion selecting slips and trips as a main priority, increased use ofvarious control measures, increased use of HSE-recommended methods fortesting the slip resistance of floors, and a slight increase in the proportionwho have reviewed their cleaning systems within the past year. There was alsosome evidence of increased recognition of the amount of work to do toadequately control slip and trip risks. The higher response rate achieved forwave 2 (38 per cent compared with 31 per cent in wave 1) suggests thatmembers are engaged with the topic and willing to participate in research ofthis type.

The third and final wave will be carried out in late 2008, providing theopportunity to assess changes in awareness, attitudes and practices over athree-year period.

19

Appendices

A. Introductory email, October 2007

Dear IOSH member

You have been randomly selected to take part in a survey on slips and tripsthat IOSH is conducting in partnership with the Health and Safety Executive(HSE).

Slips and trips are responsible for a significant number of injuries across allindustry sectors and are one of the HSE’s Priority Programmes for injuryreduction. In working towards this aim, the HSE team is working withstakeholders to promote awareness of slips and trips and identify howimprovements can be made. IOSH is helping the HSE to discover the impact ofthe Priority Programme on attitudes and behaviours towards slips and tripsthrough this survey. The main objectives are to:• better understand current awareness, attitudes and practices on slips and

trips • suggest activities or initiatives that might help HSE to promote this area

further• through repeat surveys, enable us to ‘baseline’ and then track awareness.

In a few days you will be sent a link to a short questionnaire asking for yourthoughts on slip and trip hazards in the organisation/industry you work in.The questionnaire is entirely confidential and no responses will be attributableto any individual. All you need to do to take part is to click on the link andcomplete the survey online. Please help us by taking a few minutes tocomplete and return the questionnaire.

May we take this opportunity to thank you on behalf of IOSH and the HSE inanticipation of your assistance.

Kind regardsMurray Clark

20

Q1 What is your job title?

Q2 What category of membership do you hold? % (1,500)

CFIOSH

FIOSH

CMIOSH

MIOSH

Grad IOSH

Tech IOSH

2

*

44

4

13

36

Q3 How many workers are employed ...

(a) In your workplace? % (1,500)

1–10

11–49

50–249

250–999

1,000–9,999

10,000+

13

18

31

25

12

2

(b) In your organisation as a whole? % (1,500)

1–10

11–49

50–249

250–999

1,000–9,999

10,000+

6

5

13

18

29

29

B. Marked-up questionnaire – IOSH/HSE slips and trips survey

Notes to the questionnaire results• The results are based on a final weighted sample of 1,500 IOSH members,

selected randomly from the IOSH membership database.• We sent out 4,625 questionnaires initially, of which 3,956 reached their

destination. The final adjusted response rate is therefore 38 per cent.• The figures alongside each answer are percentages of the total number of

respondents answering the question, which is shown in brackets at thestart of each question.

• An asterisk denotes a percentage between 1 and 0.• Some questions are multi-coded and respondents could choose more than

one answer. In these cases, the percentages don’t add up to 100.• The findings in questions 2 to 4 are unweighted. Weighted findings are

presented from question 5 onwards.• Free text responses are not included here.

21

Q4Which of the following best describes your organisation’s main activity?

% (1,500)

Agriculture or fishing

Chemicals or pharmaceuticals

Construction

Education

Finance or other business activities

Food preparation or manufacture

Healthcare

Leisure or hospitality

Manufacturing

Mining, quarrying or energy supply

Public administration

Retail or wholesale

Transport or storage

1

4

21

9

4

3

6

2

12

4

8

3

7

Q5Which, if any, of the following issues are potentiallyrelevant to workers in your organisation?

% (1,500)

Slips and trips

Back problems

Stress

Falls from height

Vehicular accidents

Repetitive strain injury

Skin problems

Hand–arm vibration

Respiratory problems

None of these

88

80

66

58

57

56

42

36

29

3

Q6 Which three issues are your organisation’s main priorities? % (1,500)

Slips and trips

Back problems

Falls from height

Stress

Vehicular accidents

Repetitive strain injury

Hand–arm vibration

Skin problems

Respiratory problems

None of these

69

56

39

36

35

21

13

9

8

4

22

Q7Describe your organisation’s current control of the issuesyou identified in Q6.

A = We’ve looked at this, but still need to do more work

B = A small amount of work is needed to tackle this risk completely

C = We’re fully effective in dealing with this issue

D = Don’t know

A % B % C % D %

Stress 60 28 8 3

Vehicular accidents 27 55 16 1

Back problems 36 51 12 1

Slips and trips 31 55 13 1

Hand–arm vibration 28 49 22 1

Repetitive strain injury 26 49 23 3

Falls from height 18 55 26 1

Respiratory problems 15 33 50 2

Skin problems 19 43 36 2

Q8Below is a list of actions that organisations may take to reduce slip and trip risks. Please tick any that yourorganisation is currently doing.

% (1,500)

Asking workers to keep things tidy and clean up

Using warning signs if the floor is damaged, contaminated

or being cleaned

Raising workers’ awareness of slip and trip prevention

Considering slip and trip risks when designing equipment

or work activities

Consulting workers about slip and trip hazards

Providing workers with slip-resistant footwear

Using a cleaning system that takes into account the need

to reduce slip and trip risks

Carrying out formal slip and trip risk assessments

Testing the slipperiness of flooring materials

Setting targets for slip and trip reduction

91

82

80

57

56

53

51

42

22

15

Q9What methods have you used to test the slipperiness offlooring materials?

% (328)

Pendulum test

Sled test

Surtronic Duo surface roughness meter

HSE Slips Assessment Tool

None of these

18

10

30

50

28

Q10When was the last time you provided training to workers to raise awareness of slips and trips?

% (1,182)

Within the last six months

Within the last year

Within the last two years

More than two years ago

Don’t know

56

24

5

4

11

23

Q11When was the last time you reviewed your cleaning system to minimise slip and trip risks?

% (752)





Don’t know

41

30

6

4

19

Q12To what extent do workers follow instructions and training about preventing slips and trips?

% (1,344)

Fully

Mostly

Occasionally

7

82

11

Q13When was the last time you reviewed your procedures for assessing slip and trip risks?

% (624)





Don’t know

43

37

11

3

6

Q14 How do you consult workers about slip and trip hazards? % (818)

Face-to-face meetings

Through safety/employee representatives

Surveys and questionnaires

79

70

16

Q15To what extent is good practice on slip and tripprevention adopted across your organisation?

% (1,500)

Always – good practice and practical control measures are

adopted comprehensively across the organisation

Mostly – good practice and practical control measures are the

norm but some areas could occasionally do better

Usually – we have some success but also some problems

getting good practice implemented

Occasionally – we have many problems getting good practice

implemented

Don’t know

7

60

27

5

2

Q16Has your organisation made any changes to the way itmanages slip and trip risks in the last six months?

% (1,500)

Yes

No

Don’t know

32

56

11

Q18How much more could your organisation do to reduceslips and trips?

% (1,500)

A lot more

A fair amount more

A little more

No more

6

35

52

6

24

Q19So that we can better understand attitudes towards thisissue, please say how you feel about the followingstatements.

% (1,500)

Agree Tend to Neither Tend to Disagree

strongly agree agree nor disagree strongly

% % disagree % % %

My organisation is fully

committed to reducing

slip and trip risks 39 44 12 4 1

Slips and trips are important

but other hazards are more

of a priority for us 22 46 19 11 2

Workers in my organisation are

co-operating fully to reduce

slip and trip risks 11 49 29 11 1

I feel I know all I need to know

to help my organisation

reduce slip and trip risks 14 39 28 17 1

We sometimes have difficulty

getting new initiatives on slips

and trips adopted across the

organisation 8 40 27 20 5

I’d expect an inspector to check

for slip and trip risks during a

visit to my organisation 34 39 15 9 3

Q20For each of the following resources, please say whetheryou feel you have enough, could do with more or don’tneed it at all.

% (1,500)

Have Could do Do not

enough with more need

Suitable guidance material to show you how

to tackle risks 52 46 2

Techniques for assessing slip and trip risks 37 59 4

Benchmarking information to compare your

performance with that of other organisations 15 73 12

Q22Have you received information on slips and trips in thelast year from the following sources?

% (1,500)

HSE website

HSE guidance materials

IOSH

Attending a seminar that covered slips and trips along with

other issues

Attending a seminar or workshop on slips and trips

Press or radio advertisements

None of these

73

59

47

21

16

5

10

25

Q23Which of these information sources have you found most useful?

% (1,500)

HSE website

HSE guidance materials

IOSH

Attending a seminar or workshop on slips and trips

Attending a seminar that covered slips and trips along with

other issues

Press or radio advertisements

None of these

58

43

24

12

10

1

9

Q24 Who organised the events that you’ve been to? % (125)

HSE

IOSH

Business Link

Trade association

Local authority

Trade union

Don’t know

52

20

17

16

11

3

6

26

C. Cross-tabulations

Table A1Current control of slip and trip risks cross-

tabulated with workplace size

Workplace sizeTotal

1–49 50–249 250+

We’ve looked at it but still have more to do

No. 60 93 171 324

% 26.4 26.2 38.2 31.5

There’s a smallamount left to doto minimise the risk

No. 121 215 227 563

% 53.3 60.6 50.7 54.7

We’re fully effective in dealing with therisk

No. 45 44 47 136

% 19.8 12.4 10.5 13.2

Don’t knowNo. 1 3 3 7

% 0.4 0.8 0.7 0.7

TotalNo. 227 355 448 1030

% 100 100 100 100

Des

crip

tio

n o

f cu

rren

t co

ntr

ols

of

slip

an

d t

rip

ris

k

Industry sector†

TotalA B C D

We’ve looked at it but still have more to do

No. 108 58 78 80 324

% 40.4 28.9 26.4 30.1 31.5

There’s a smallamount left to do tominimise the risk

No. 131 113 175 144 563

% 49.1 56.2 59.1 54.1 54.7

We’re fully effective in dealing with therisk

No. 24 29 42 41 136

% 9.0 14.4 14.2 15.4 13.2

Don’t knowNo. 4 1 1 1 7

% 1.5 0.5 0.3 0.4 0.7

TotalNo. 267 201 296 266 1030

% 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Des

crip

tio

n o

f cu

rren

t co

ntr

ols

of

slip

an

d t

rip

ris

k

Table A2Current control of slip and trip risks cross-

tabulated with industry sector

† Sectors:

A Public administration and health

B Construction

C Production

D Private sector services

27

AcknowledgmentsIOSH and the HSE would like to thank all the respondents who took part inthis study for sharing their views on slips and trips risk reduction in theirorganisations. We would also like to thank Murray Clark (IOSH) for hersupport in developing and administering the questionnaire, the IOSHmembers who participated in the pilot survey for their constructive comments,and IOSH’s IT and Membership departments for their helpful assistance withthe project.

Report prepared by Kate Sweeney (HSE) and edited by Dr Luise Vassie (IOSH)

Contact detailsEddie BaileyProgramme Manager – Slips and Trips8NW Rose Court2 Southwark BridgeLondon SE1 9HSUKwww.hse.gov.uk/slips/index.htm

Dr Luise VassieHead of Research and Technical ServicesIOSHThe GrangeHighfield DriveWigstonLeicestershire LE18 1NNUKwww.iosh.co.uk

June 2008

IOSHThe GrangeHighfield DriveWigstonLeicestershireLE18 1NNUK

t +44 (0)116 257 3100f +44 (0)116 257 3101www.iosh.co.uk

Institution of Occupational Safety and Health

Founded 1945

Incorporated by Royal Charter 2003

Registered charity 1096790

IOSH is Europe’s leading body for health andsafety professionals, with nearly 33,000members worldwide, including 13,000Chartered Safety and Health Practitioners.

The Institution was founded in 1945 and isan independent, not-for-profit organisationthat sets professional standards, supportsand develops members and providesauthoritative advice and guidance on healthand safety issues. IOSH is formallyrecognised by the ILO as an internationalnon-governmental organisation.

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Slips and trips - IOSH · 2018. 7. 10. · Slips and trips are the main cause of major injuries in the workplace and are therefore the target of one of the HSE’s priority programmes