Australian Institute of Health and Safety (AIHS) has made significant advancements in providing accessible resources for OHS professionals. As part of our commitment to enhancing knowledge sharing, we are pleased to The term ‘slips, trips and falls’ is treated almost as a single word in the workplace context with, in some cases, differentiation between a ‘fall on the same level’ and ‘a fall from a height.’ Such occurrences rank among the most significant causal factors in workplace injury and death in Australia, and there have been only relatively minor reductions in the injury rate in the last 10 years. Hazard identification, risk assessment and development of control strategies require an understanding of the physics of gravitational energy and the mechanisms of causation. This chapter uses injury statistics to examine the extent of the problem(link is external) and the agencies of injury of slips, trips and falls (on the same level and from heights), and due to being hit by falling objects. It facilitates understanding of gravitational hazards with an overview of the relevant physics of gravity and the normal gait of a person, and examines the different mechanisms of a slip, a trip and a misstep. The importance of building design in prevention of injuries related to gravitational hazards is highlighted through a discussion on causation and scenario examples for control. The chapter concludes by discussing the role of the generalist OHS professional in preventing injuries from gravitational hazards.

Keywords: gravity, slip, trip, fall, misstep, falling objects,

First year of publication: 2012
Current Version: 2019

The written chapter can be viewed and downloaded at https://www.ohsbok.org.au/(link is external)

Chapter 27: Gravitational hazards. (n.d.). The OHS Body of Knowledge. https://www.ohsbok.org.au/chapter-27-physical-hazards-gravitational/

Course Details

Cost: AIHS Members $27.50 | Non Members $49.50
Format: Audio Chapter
CPD Points: 1