How to Prevent Slips, Trips, and Falls on Construction Sites

The risk of accidents like slips, trips, and falls continue to be one of the most crucial concerns on a construction site. Slippery or hazardous working conditions caused by wet walkways or platforms and damaged, uneven, or cluttered walk spaces are just a few of the hazards in construction that can lead to unfortunate accidents.

Being diligent in preventing slips, trips, and falls protects everyone who enters a working area and mitigates preventable injuries or even death. Protective measures may include identifying and removing dangerous working conditions and using proper protective equipment like footwear, harnesses, and vests. Explore ways to avoid slips, trips, and falls and make a construction site safer for everyone.

Workplace incidents related to slips, trips, falls, and other job safety concerns have increased over the years. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, construction deaths due to falls, slips, and trips increased 5.9 percent in 2021.

Slip, trip, and fall hazards often occur when elements like dangerous weather conditions, poorly lit construction work areas, unsafe work surfaces, and heavy equipment handling are present in the construction area.

A micro slip, big slip, or loss of footing can result in a fall and lead to severe injuries or fatalities. Trips typically happen in surface elevation changes, poor surface illumination, and congested walking areas shared by numerous people and motorized and nonmotorized equipment. Also, when carrying materials and equipment, vision can be impaired while walking and increasing the likelihood of a fall.

Preventing slips, trips, and falls is crucial to avoid work-related injuries on construction sites. Keep all work areas clean, clear, and well-lit and provide safety gear or guardrails when necessary. Inspect areas prone to slips, trips, and falls (either areas typically wet, heavily trafficked, or lots of cords, cables, equipment, etc.) and quickly making fixes to hazardous working conditions.

Besides conducting initial inspections of potentially dangerous work areas and eliminating slip, trip, and fall hazards, ensuring that safety gear and equipment are available and that employees are familiarized with necessary safety guidelines is essential.

At 365 Equipment & Supply, we are your ultimate source for all your construction site needs. We offer the safety equipment to help you and your employees do the job safely and efficiently.

We have a wide range of safety equipment and products like the Guardian Fall Protection Halo Series Self-Retracting Lifeline (SRL) that provides a quick-action braking system, helping prevent unnecessary falls, or the Titan II Harness with a belt offering dependable security.  Learn more about our available safety equipment and products to help prevent slips, trips, and falls at your work site today.