Pedestrian Slipping - A Risk Assessment Based Approach

Pedestrian slipping involves a number of factors including the nature of the floor and whether it is contaminated, the type and condition of footwear and environmental conditions as well as the physical and mental capabilities of the individual who slips. It is the interaction of all these different factors which will determine whether a slip accident is likely to occur.This paper will develop a risk assessment based approach to slipping so as to give due regard to all the important contributory factors. Worked examples of risk assessments will be presented to demonstrate ways of assessing and controlling the slip potential of any given situation. These examples will be used to show that quick, easy and inexpensive interventions are often capable of significantly reducing the likelihood of a slipping accident.