How to Conduct Safety Training on Slips, Trips and Falls
A step-by-step guide for UK and Irish health and safety managers and supervisors
Key takeaways
- ·Slips, trips and falls account for around 30% of all RIDDOR-reported major injuries in UK workplaces each year.
- ·MHSWR 1999 reg 13 requires employers to provide adequate training covering STF hazards for all at-risk workers.
- ·Training must be underpinned by a current risk assessment — you cannot train against hazards you have not identified.
- ·All training must be documented with a signed attendance record; verbal briefings alone provide no legal protection.
- ·Training must be refreshed after any incident, significant workplace change, or at intervals set by your risk assessment.
What are slips, trips and falls?
Slips, trips and falls (STF) are the single most common cause of non-fatal major injury in UK workplaces. According to the Health and Safety Executive, they account for approximately 30% of all RIDDOR-reported major injuries each year — around 40 fatalities annually and tens of thousands of non-fatal injuries requiring more than seven days off work. The cost is significant: direct costs in lost working time, medical treatment and insurance premiums, and indirect costs including investigation time, reduced morale, and potential enforcement action or civil litigation.
A slip occurs when there is insufficient friction between footwear and a walking surface. A trip happens when a foot contacts an unexpected obstacle or catches on an uneven surface. Falls from height are governed separately by the Work at Height Regulations 2005, though good STF training programmes address lower-level falls alongside same-level slips and trips. For most indoor and general-industry settings the primary hazards are: wet or contaminated floor surfaces, uneven thresholds, trailing cables, poor housekeeping, and inadequate lighting.
The training duty is not optional. MHSWR 1999 reg 13 requires employers to provide adequate health and safety training when employees are first recruited, when they are exposed to new or increased risks, and at regular intervals thereafter. Where the risk assessment identifies STF hazards, training must address them.
Legal requirements in Great Britain and Ireland
Requires a suitable and sufficient risk assessment covering all significant hazards, including STF hazards. The assessment must be recorded in writing if five or more people are employed. It must be reviewed whenever it is suspected it is no longer valid or there has been a significant change in the matters to which it relates.
Requires employers to provide adequate health and safety training when an employee is first recruited and when they are exposed to new or increased risks. Training must be repeated periodically, adapted to take account of new or changed risks, and provided during working hours.
Requires floors and every traffic route to be of a construction such that persons are not exposed to risk to their health or safety. Floors must be free from holes, uneven surfaces or slopes that may cause a person to slip, trip or fall. Training must reinforce these standards and worker responsibilities.
Imposes a general duty on employers to provide such information, instruction, training and supervision as is necessary to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety of employees. This is the foundation on which all more specific training duties rest.
Places a general duty on employers equivalent to HSWA s2. Requires employers to manage and conduct work activities in such a way as to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the safety, health and welfare of employees. Training is a key element of this general duty.
Requires a written risk assessment and, under GAR reg 26, specific training linked to identified risks. Training must be provided during working hours at no cost to the employee — this is an explicit legal requirement in Ireland, not merely good practice.
How to conduct slips, trips and falls training
Conduct or review your STF risk assessment
Training must be grounded in a current, site-specific risk assessment (MHSWR reg 3 / SHWWA s19). Walk every area where workers are present and systematically identify STF hazards: wet or contaminated floors, uneven surfaces, poor housekeeping, trailing cables, changes in floor level, inadequate lighting, and areas where liquids are used or stored.
For each hazard, record: what the hazard is, who is at risk, what controls are currently in place, whether the existing controls are sufficient, and any additional action required. You cannot design effective training without knowing the specific hazards in your workplace. A generic hazard list from the internet is not a substitute for a physical site walkthrough.
Review the assessment whenever there is a significant change, after any STF incident or near miss, or at least annually in higher-risk environments.
Identify your audience and training needs
Not all roles face the same STF hazards. A warehouse operative working with wet goods has a different risk profile from an office worker or a retail assistant. Segment your workforce by role and exposure level, and tailor the training accordingly.
The following groups always require STF training before working unsupervised in at-risk areas: new starters (including permanent, agency, and temporary workers), workers changing role or moving to a new site, contractors working in your premises, and workers returning from an absence of more than six months.
Identify any workers with specific needs — those with mobility impairments, workers for whom English is not their first language, or workers who will be working in unfamiliar environments — and adapt your delivery method accordingly.
Choose your training method and design the content
The method must match the audience, the hazard complexity, and the practicalities of your workplace. For most STF awareness training, a structured toolbox talk (20–30 minutes, led by the supervisor or safety advisor) supplemented by a site induction covering STF-specific hazards is sufficient.
The content must address the specific hazards identified in your risk assessment — not a generic list. Include: the main STF hazards in your workplace with photographs of the actual hazard locations; the controls in place (wet floor signs, drainage channels, cable management, lighting standards, housekeeping standards); what workers must do when they identify a hazard; correct footwear requirements; housekeeping responsibilities; and the reporting procedure.
Avoid generic slide presentations that are not tailored to your environment. An HSE or HSA inspector, or a solicitor acting for an injured worker, will ask to see the training materials and compare them against the risk assessment. If they do not match, you will struggle to defend a claim.
Deliver the training session
Deliver in small groups where possible (ideally 8–12 people for interactive sessions). Begin with statistics to establish relevance — that 1 in 3 major injuries in UK workplaces is caused by a slip or trip is a compelling opening. Then move quickly to site-specific hazards: what is different about this workplace, this floor surface, this cleaning regime.
Where possible, supplement the classroom or briefing room session with a walkthrough of the hazard areas. Pointing out the wet threshold at the loading bay door, or the uneven join in the car park, is far more effective than a photograph.
Allow time for questions and check understanding informally. Training must be delivered during working hours; in Ireland, this is a legal requirement under GAR reg 26. Requiring workers to attend training outside their contracted hours creates compliance risk.
Record attendance and document the session
A signed attendance record is the minimum documentation required. The record must capture: the date, time and location of the training; the name and qualification of the trainer (e.g. NEBOSH Certificate, IOSH Managing Safely, internal appointment as safety supervisor); the content covered (either by title of the materials used or a brief summary); and each participant's printed name and signature.
File the attendance record and retain it for the duration of employment plus at least three years. Link the record to the risk assessment on which the training was based — this is the connection a court or inspector will look for. Where training records are held on paper, scan and back them up digitally.
SiteChief Training Records stores this documentation digitally, links each record to the relevant risk assessment, and sends automatic reminders when refresher training is due.
Schedule refresher training and review after incidents
Training is not a one-off event. Review and refresh your STF training programme whenever: a STF incident occurs (even a near miss or dangerous occurrence); a new STF hazard is identified through inspection or worker report; the workplace layout, floor surface, cleaning regime, or lighting is changed; a worker changes role or returns from an absence of more than six months; or an inspection finding identifies a gap.
At minimum, refresh STF training annually in higher-risk environments (warehousing, food production, healthcare, hospitality). In lower-risk office environments, a three-year cycle with a toolbox talk refresher is generally defensible.
Following any RIDDOR-reportable STF injury, document what training was in place before the incident, what was missing or ineffective, and what changes you have made. This record will be reviewed by the HSE or HSA if they investigate, and by any solicitor acting for the injured party.
Pro tip: Photograph your STF hazards during the risk assessment walkthrough and include the photos in your training materials. Site-specific photographs of actual hazards — the wet threshold at the loading bay entrance, the trailing cable near the photocopier, the uneven join in the car park — are far more persuasive than stock images, and they demonstrate to an inspector or court that your training was tailored to your actual workplace rather than purchased off the shelf.
STF training delivery checklist
- Risk assessment reviewed and current before training content is designed
- Training content reflects site-specific STF hazards (not generic)
- All at-risk workers identified — including new starters, agency workers, contractors and returners
- Training delivered during working hours at no cost to the worker
- Trainer identified and their competence recorded
- Signed attendance record obtained for every participant
- Record includes: date, location, trainer name and qualification, content covered, participant signatures
- Training linked to the relevant risk assessment in your records
- Refresher interval set and scheduled (minimum annually for higher-risk areas)
- Near-miss and incident follow-up procedure includes training review step
- Records retained for minimum 3 years after training date (longer where injury occurred)
- Training records accessible to HSE / HSA inspectors on request
Common mistakes to avoid
Using a generic, non-site-specific training presentation
Training must address the hazards identified in your risk assessment. A generic slideshow will not demonstrate compliance with MHSWR reg 13 and will be challenged by an inspector or in litigation.
No signed attendance record
Verbal briefings with no documentary evidence leave the employer with nothing to show. A signed attendance record is the minimum. Without it, you cannot prove training took place.
Designing training before the risk assessment is complete
If you have not identified your STF hazards, you cannot train against them effectively. The risk assessment must come first — always.
Excluding agency workers, contractors and visitors
MHSWR reg 12 (host employer duty) applies to non-employees. Agency workers and contractors must receive site-specific STF information before starting work in at-risk areas. You cannot rely on the agency or contractor to have done this.
Not refreshing training after incidents or workplace changes
A RIDDOR-reportable STF injury will prompt inspectors to ask what training was in place and when it was last reviewed. Training unchanged since before a material change to the workplace will be difficult to defend.
Keeping records on paper with no digital backup
Paper records are lost, damaged, and difficult to retrieve under time pressure. A digital training records system provides instant retrieval, automatic reminders for refreshers, and a clear audit trail.
GB, Ireland and OSHA: key differences
MHSWR 1999 reg 13 is the primary training duty. HSE guidance document HSG155 (Slips and Trips) provides detailed practical guidance on control measures. No fixed statutory refresh interval — determined by risk assessment. The HSE operates a fee-for-intervention model; non-compliance that triggers a material breach finding will be chargeable.
GAR 2007 reg 26 explicitly requires training to be provided during working hours at no cost to the employee. The Safety Representative (SHWWA 2005 s25) must be consulted when designing control measures including training. The Health and Safety Authority enforces via improvement and prohibition notices under the SHWWA 2005.
OSHA General Industry standard 29 CFR 1910.22 covers walking-working surfaces but contains limited specific training requirements. OSHA enforces STF training via the General Duty Clause (s5(a)(1)) where training is absent. ANSI A1264.2 and ANSI/ASSP A1264.1 provide supplementary guidance on safety requirements for the workplace.