In busy workplaces like schools, where floors can quickly become wet or cluttered, slips, trips, and falls are one of the most common causes of injury.

Over the past five years, more than 2,500 workers in the K–12 sector have been injured by slips, trips, and falls.

Impact of slips, trips, and falls on public education

Those 2,500 incidents — 18.6% of all injury claims in the K–12 sector in the past five years — cost schools:

• More than 94,500 lost workdays
• Over $35 million in workers’ compensation payments

How to make schools a safer workplace

Principals, teachers, and school staff are responsible for preventing slips, trips, and falls. We can reduce the number of slips, trips, and falls by making prevention a priority and taking steps to manage the risk.

Managing the risk involves three steps:

1. Identify the hazards: Gather information through inspections, mapping, reviewing incident reports, and getting workers’ input.
2. Assess the risks: Rank hazards by their severity and likelihood (look for trends) based on your workplace incident reports.
3. Implement effective controls: Implement controls in the order that makes the biggest difference. Prioritize elimination, substitution, engineering controls, then administrative measures. Personal protective equipment (PPE) is always the last option.

What employers can do

Your leadership in safety can make a lasting difference for your team, their families, and your organization.

Employers are required to identify hazards, assess risks, and apply controls (following the hierarchy of controls outlined in step 3 above).

For slip and trip prevention to be sustainable, it needs to be part of daily activities and processes:

• Management commitment: Employers, managers, and supervisors take an active role in identifying and fixing slip and trip hazards.
• Worker participation: Workers actively help to identify hazards and assess and control risks.
• Education and training: Education and training gives managers and supervisors a greater understanding of their role in prevention and how their actions matter.

By making slip, trip, and fall prevention a priority, employers not only reduce injuries and costs, they also create safer and healthier workplaces where every worker can thrive.

What workers can do

To keep everyone safe, as a worker you can help by learning about slips, trips, and falls including:

• Common hazards — such as wet entrances, cords across walkways, and loose rugs
• How to report hazards and incidents — who to tell and how to document
• Footwear policy — what is acceptable footwear for your role and your workplace
• Winter weather plan — how snow and ice are managed, and your role

If you notice a potential slip or trip hazard, report it to your supervisor. By helping keep yourself and your team safe, you can make a difference.

What supervisors can do

As a supervisor, your training should include a review of the sections of the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation on slips, trips, and falls. Your workplace-specific training should cover:

• Common slip, trip, and fall hazards at your workplace
• Expected workplace practices and how to model them
• What to do when workers report potential hazards

Supporting schools through partnerships

To support schools in their efforts to prevent workplace violence, we have established a working group with our K–12 sector partners to develop and raise awareness of resources and tools tailored to school settings. Our partners include: BC Public School Employers’ Association (BCPSEA), BC Principals’ and Vice Principals’ Association (BCPVPA), BC School Superintendent’s Association (BCSSA), BC Teachers’ Federation (BCTF), Canadian Union of Public Employees British Columbia (CUPE BC), School Safety Association of BC (SSABC), and occupational health and safety specialists representing both rural and urban school districts.

Additional resources

The resources listed below are in PDF format, and many will open directly in your browser. Most of them are hosted on the website of the BC Public School Employers’ Association (BCPSEA).

Posters

Bulletins

Information sheets and guides

Checklist

Videos

Book