Preventing Slips, Trips and Falls on Your Church Property

October 27, 2025 - 6 minutes read

Slips, trips, and falls are common occurrences in workplaces and public spaces. Here’s how to reduce the risk on your premises.

slipsThe stats and facts

Slips, trips and falls at work represent almost 22% of all serious injury claims according to SafeWork Australia (2025 statistics).

Common types of injuries from these incidents include musculoskeletal damage, fractures, dislocations, and bruises.

Of course church organisations need to consider not only the safety of workers and volunteers, but also that of attendees and visitors! And then there are outside hazards to factor in as well – such as on pathways, grounds, and in car-parking areas.

In saying that there are some relatively simple steps you can take to reduce the risk, which we’ve explained below.

But first, here are some definitions.

Slips

Slips happen when a person loses traction between their foot and the floor underneath. Common causes include liquid spills, wet cleaning, dusty surfaces, highly polished floors, wet or icy pathways, steep ramps, and poor lighting.

Certain types of flooring materials can also make a floor more prone to being slippery – including glazed tiles, concrete (especially when worn as it absorbs more moisture), terrazzo, and steel plate.

Trips

Trips usually happen when a person catches their foot on low obstacles – often ones that go unnoticed. Common causes of trips include uneven floor surfaces, buckled carpets or mats, cracks, potholes, changes in floor levels, objects or cabling across walking areas, and inadequate lighting.

Falls

Falls may occur due to slips and/or trips, and also from heights, ladders, stairways or steps.

Risk management procedures

Risk management for slips, trips and falls is largely the same as for any type of risk. This involves identifying hazards, assessing the risk level, taking risk control measures, and regular reviewing and monitoring.

The ‘hierarchy of risk control’ applies here as well, which includes:  

  • Elimination – complete removal of the hazard where possible. This represents the highest form of control.
  • Substitution – replacing the hazard with a safer option. An example might be putting slip-resistant mats down on a potentially slippery surface.
  • Isolation – e.g. cordoning off a high-risk area, such as a just-washed floor or an area full of tools or debris.
  • Engineering controls – in this case you might rearrange furniture, redesign a workplace layout to make it safer, or improve lighting.
  • Administrative controls – such as developing procedures for cleaning, inspections, repairs and so on. 

The importance of regular inspections

Conducting regular inspections to check for hazards is a proactive step towards reducing risk. Some of the things to look for include:

  • Floors that become very slippery when wet
  • Water leaks from fridges or machinery
  • Worn anti-slip floor paint or coatings
  • Floor polish build-up
  • Isolated steps, and/or poorly defined or designed steps and stairways
  • Damaged carpets or tiles
  • Poor lighting or glare from lights
  • Cables across walking areas
  • Floor holes, cracks, or unevenness
  • Ice or debris on outside walkways
  • Build-up of dead leaves outside
  • Potholes and cracks in carpark areas.

Below are some examples of risk control measures for the different types of hazards.

Slip hazards

There are various ways to remove or reduce slip hazards, such as:

  • Prompt cleaning of spills
  • Using signage (such as during floor cleaning)
  • Improving drainage
  • Applying slip-resistant floor coatings
  • Putting down non-slip rubber-backed mats
  • Installing railings on ramps
  • Using absorbent entrance mats (may prevent water from being dragged inside on people’s shoes during wet weather!)
  • Providing good lighting – especially where a change in floor textures occurs (such as between carpeting and tiles)
  • For outside areas – removing debris from walking areas, and applying salt treatment for ice or frost.

Trip hazards

This may involve:

  • Doing repairs – e.g. of damaged tiles or carpeting, holes, and cracks
  • Considering installing more electrical sockets if the use of cables is causing a problem in walk-through areas
  • Installing more cupboards or shelving if objects such as files, boxes, or tools are causing people to trip
  • Prompt removal of debris, rubbish and waste
  • On steps and stairways – step edges should be clearly defined with coloured strips and nosings, and adequate lighting and handrails should be provided. For more details on the prevention of accidents on steps and stairs, see our previous article.

Fall hazards

Reducing the risk includes:

  • Dealing with slip and trip hazards – as previously mentioned these may lead to falls
  • Using safe work procedures when working at heights
  • The correct use of ladders – please see our earlier article on ladder safety for more details.

More information and resources on risk management for slips, trips, and falls in your church organisation or workplace can be found at SafeWork Australia or on your state or territory WorkSafe website.

Note: this article was originally written in 2016 and updated in 2025

Written by Tess Oliver

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