By Rohan Megahey – Assistant Building Surveyor
Slips occur when a person’s foot loses traction with a ground surface, while trips occur when a person catches their foot on an object or surface. Falls can result from a slip or a trip, though many also occur from low heights such as steps, stairs, and curbs etc.
Every year slips, trips and falls result in an enormous number of preventable injuries. They are one of the most common accidents which occur throughout our communities, and they affect people of all ages. Their prevalence has nestled its way throughout the design and construction of developments for decades and has been the trigger for many amendments to the Building Code of Australia in recent years.
It is our role within the building industry to implement compliance and best practice that hold slips, trips and falls at the highest concern and to put importance on not only the compliance, but the best practice when faced with these issues.
The Cost to the Community
A slip, trip or fall can be extremely costly, not only for the individual who has encountered this accident, but also to the broader community. Legal claims, rehabilitation and increased insurances are a consequence of slips, trips and falls.
Focusing on the workplace, a period of over 12 years (2003-2015) has seen 386 deaths due to these accidents. In addition, slips trips and falls have led to 23% of serious claims and lawsuits in the workplace. 56% of these accidents were caused by environmental factors. Environmental factors being “slippery surfaces following rain or spills, poorly designed or maintained walkways, poor lighting on stairs and walkways and trip hazards for example from poorly stored materials.”
When focusing in on the greater community between the years of 2002 to 2005 there has been a cost of $3.1 billion dollars due to injuries caused by these accidents and over $1.2 billion dollars spent dealing with the fatalities caused by slips trips and falls.
Preventing the ‘Preventable’
The Building Code of Australia sets out parameters, tolerances, and requirements for items such as stairways, ramps, balustrades, and handrails etc. These items are in every design and are required to gain access, in and around all types of buildings. It is our role to make sure they are designed and built to in a compliant matter within these parameters.
Throughout the design of a building there are certain aspects and best practices that can take place to allow the accidents above to become less likely and eliminate risks and hazards as much as reasonably practical. Although we are never going to be able to rule out 100% of injuries and fatalities caused by slips trips and fall, I believe we can greatly reduce their likelihood.
Whether it be that certain access design features are overlooked in and around buildings, or there is a lack of experience in identifying the issues within a design or the construction – there is always a way to best eliminate a hazard.
Common overlooked building features within the design and construction:
- Areas of a building needing to be accessed by workers or residents that are exposed to the elements and have not been provided with all-weather paths.
- Large, tiled pathways and ramps which extend out past the cover of an awning or the like that are exposed to weather and many environmental factors.
- The change in floor level throughout the design which requires a stair or ramp to transition onto the new floor level.
- Providing services adjacent to balustrades on balconies or the like eg.AC units or water taps. These services can sometimes fall within the parameters of ‘climbability’ and allow for persons to be able to traverse these services up and over the balustrade.
Although these are only a handful of items that we at Credwell see every day, these items are major concerns when dealing with the compliance to the building code of Australia and also best practice within the design and construction of buildings.
What we can do at Credwell Consulting
Credwell consulting have vast experience within design and construction in the building industry. Having dealt with all types of buildings and their uses allows us to foresee items of concern and allow us to advise our clients of the compliance requirements and best practices when dealing with preventing slips trips and falls.
Let’s work together to ensure we are ‘preventing the preventable’.
For more information please contact Credwell on 02 9281 8555 or email info@credwell.com.au
References
https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/slips-trips-falls
“Proposal to revise the Building Code of Australia to Reduce the risk of slips, trips and falls in buildings” by Australian Building Codes Board – Regulation Impact Statement for Final Decision June 2011
The relationship between slips, trips and falls and the design and construction of buildings – funded by Australian Building Codes Board Report No. 281 April 2008