Slips, Trips & Housekeeping

Why does housekeeping matter on a construction site?

• AHousekeeping is the responsibility of the cleaning contractor rather than trades
• BA tidy site is mainly about presenting well to clients and visiting inspectors
• CWaste left in walkways is only a problem if it blocks a fire escape route
• DOffcuts, cables and spillages cause slips and trips, the commonest site injuries✓

Answer: Slips and trips are the most frequent cause of injury on sites, and almost all of them come from things that were left where people walk — trailing leads, offcuts, banding, mud, spilt fuel. It is everyone's job, cleared as you go, because the person who trips is usually not the person who left it.

You find a diesel spillage across a pedestrian route. What should you do?

• ADeal with it or guard it immediately, and report it so it is cleaned properly✓
• BStep around it and mention it at the next toolbox talk so everyone is aware
• CLeave it to evaporate, since diesel disperses without leaving a slip hazard
• DPut a cone beside it and continue, as a cone is sufficient warning on a site

Answer: Leave it and the next person through does not know it is there. Contain or cover it, keep people off it, and get it cleaned with the right absorbent — diesel on a smooth surface stays slippery long after it stops looking wet, and it is also a pollution incident if it reaches a drain.

How should trailing power cables across a walkway be managed?

• ATape them flat to the floor with hazard tape so they are clearly visible
• BRoute them overhead or under proper covers so nobody has to step over them✓
• CLeave them loose but brief everyone at induction that cables may be present
• DCoil the slack neatly at the side and run the cable straight across the route

Answer: The aim is to get the cable out of the walking line altogether, overhead or in a proper cable protector. Tape lifts, comes away and becomes its own trip hazard, and a briefing does not help someone carrying a board who cannot see their feet.

Why is lighting treated as a slips and trips control?

• ALighting is only relevant to slips and trips during the winter months
• BBright lighting deters trespassers from entering the site after working hours
• CPeople cannot avoid a hazard they cannot see, especially on changing ground✓
• DGood lighting reduces eye strain, which is the main cause of stumbling

Answer: Ground conditions on a site change hourly — a hole appears, a kerb is lifted, a hose is run out. In poor light none of that is visible until you are in it. Task and access lighting matter most at entrances, stairs, ramps and anywhere the level changes.

Why should waste and offcuts be cleared as work goes along rather than at the end of the shift?

• AClearing at the end of the shift means all of the waste has to be handled twice
• BWaste is easier to sort into the correct skips while the materials are still fresh
• CSite rules normally require the working area to be photographed before each shift ends
• DThe hazard is there for the whole shift, and end-of-shift clearing is easily dropped✓

Answer: A pile of offcuts left until later is a trip hazard for every hour it sits there, and the end-of-shift tidy is the first thing to go when the job is running behind. Clearing as you go also keeps escape routes open and stops waste being buried under the next delivery.