Slips, trips and falls prevention for every workplace

For all employees and custodial and facilities staff: understand why same-level falls happen and control the floors, spills, clutter, footwear and weather that cause them.

For: All employees, with practical depth for custodial, environmental services and facilities staff

  • 2 contact hours
  • 7 modules
  • 7 interactives
  • 4 job aids
  • Updated October 11, 2026

What you will be able to do

  • Explain how slips, trips and missteps happen and how often they injure workers, using current Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
  • Describe employer and employee duties under OSHA's walking-working surfaces rule, including inspection, repair, guarding and stairways.
  • Apply housekeeping, floor cleaning and spill response practices that keep walking surfaces clean and dry.
  • Control trip hazards from cords, clutter, changes in floor level, mats and poor lighting.
  • Choose footwear and walking practices, and control hazards on stairs, ramps and outdoor surfaces including snow and ice.
  • Report slip, trip and fall hazards and incidents, and respond appropriately when someone falls.

Slips, trips and falls on the same level injure more workers than any other kind of fall. This course explains how they happen, what OSHA's walking-working surfaces rule requires, and how to control the conditions behind them: wet and contaminated floors, cords and clutter, changes in floor level, poor lighting, worn footwear, stairs, and snow and ice.

It is written for every employee and gives extra practical depth to custodial, environmental services and facilities staff who clean, inspect and repair floors. Scenarios are drawn from grocery stores, hospitals, warehouses and kitchens, and each module ends with things you can do on your next shift.

The course focuses on same-level falls and stairs. Falls from heights and ladder use have their own CE Courses Hub courses. This is awareness training, not OSHA Outreach training, and your employer must add site-specific training on its own surfaces and procedures. You earn a certificate of completion for 2 contact hours.

What you’ll be able to do Monday morning

  1. Stop at every spill you see: guard it, clean it or report it, and never just step around it.
  2. Clean floors in sections so there is always a dry path, and put wet-floor signs out before you start.
  3. Reroute or cover one cord that crosses a walkway in your area, and report flooring that is torn, curled or uneven.
  4. Check your shoe soles for wear and make sure your footwear suits the floors you work on.
  5. Use the handrail on every staircase and keep one hand free when you carry things on stairs.
  6. Report a near miss the same day, with the exact location and condition.

Curriculum

7 modules · 28 lessons · about 2 contact hours

01How big is the problem, and why do people slip, trip and fall?Free preview14 min
  1. The numbers behind same-level falls
  2. Three ways to fall: slips, trips and missteps
  3. The conditions and behaviors behind falls
  4. Where and when falls are most likely
  • Sort activity: Slip, trip or misstep?

Diagram · In practice checklist · 3-question knowledge check

02What does OSHA's walking-working surfaces rule require?14 min
  1. Scope and key definitions
  2. The general requirements in 1910.22
  3. Stairways, fall protection pointers and training
  4. Who does what under the rule
  • Decision tree: Hazard on a walking surface: what now?

Diagram · In practice checklist · 3-question knowledge check

03How do you keep floors clean and dry and respond to spills?15 min
  1. Housekeeping as the first line of defense
  2. Cleaning floors without creating hazards
  3. Spill response, step by step
  4. Kitchens, grease and other wet processes
  • Branching scenario: Spill at shift change

Diagram · In practice checklist · 3-question knowledge check

04How do you control trips from cords, clutter, flooring changes and lighting?14 min
  1. Cords, hoses and loose materials
  2. Changes in level, mats and flooring
  3. Lighting, visibility and carrying
  4. Inspection routines that catch hazards early
  • Spot the issue: Spot the hazards in a shift-start floor check

Diagram · In practice checklist · 2-question knowledge check

05What role do footwear, walking habits, stairs and ramps play?14 min
  1. Footwear that grips
  2. Walking habits that prevent falls
  3. Stairs and ramps
  4. Carts, loads and moving on the job
  • Self-assessment: Your walking and footwear habits

Diagram · In practice checklist · 2-question knowledge check

06How do you handle outdoor areas, weather, snow and ice?14 min
  1. Outdoor surfaces are walking-working surfaces too
  2. Planning for winter before it arrives
  3. Walking on snow and ice
  4. Rain, docks and seasonal hazards beyond winter
  • Spot the issue: Winter morning walk-through

Diagram · In practice checklist · 2-question knowledge check

07What should you do when you see a hazard or someone falls?14 min
  1. Report hazards and near misses
  2. When someone falls
  3. What employers do with reports
  4. Building a prevention routine that lasts
  • Matching activity: Match the incident to the control

Diagram · In practice checklist · 2-question knowledge check

Final assessment: 23 questions, 80% to pass, then your certificate

Try it now, no account needed

Spill at shift change

A branching scenario from this course. Your choices are not saved.

Free sample activity

Spill at shift change

It is 6:55 a.m. on a hospital unit. A water pitcher has spilled across the corridor outside the nurses' station. You are a unit clerk on your way to a meeting.

Inside the course

Practice activities

  • Sort activity1
  • Decision tree1
  • Branching scenario1
  • Spot the issue2
  • Self-assessment1
  • Matching activity1

Job aids you keep

  • Slip, Trip and Fall Hazard ChecklistChecklist
  • Job Hazard Analysis Template: Slip, Trip and Fall ExposuresTemplate
  • Slip, Trip and Fall Incident and Near-Miss ReportTemplate
  • Slip, Trip and Fall Training Sign-Off RecordLog

Credit and approval status

Certificate of completion

This course awards a certificate of completion for 2 contact hours of instruction. It is not approved or accredited by any licensing board, state agency or continuing education accreditor, and it is not OSHA Outreach (10-hour or 30-hour) training. OSHA does not approve or certify general awareness courses. OSHA's walking-working surfaces rule requires employers to train employees on the equipment and hazards at their own workplace, so this course does not replace site-specific training. Check with your employer whether this course meets your specific requirement.

Pathways we may pursue include review against IACET continuing education unit criteria and arrangements with employers who use this course within their safety training programs. No such approval exists today; the course page will show an approval only after it is granted.

Our full approvals list

Questions about this course

Does this course cover falls from ladders and roofs?

No. This course focuses on slips, trips and falls on the same level and on stairs, which cause the most fall injuries at work. CE Courses Hub's Fall Protection Awareness course covers falls from heights and fall protection systems, and the Ladder Safety course covers ladders and step stools. This course points to them where the topics meet.

Does it meet OSHA's training requirement for walking-working surfaces?

OSHA requires employers to train employees on the specific hazards and equipment at their workplace, in a way employees understand. This general awareness course gives a strong foundation and a certificate of completion for 2 contact hours, but your employer must add site-specific training. Ask your supervisor whether this course is part of your training plan.

Who should take it?

Everyone benefits, because anyone can slip on a wet floor or trip over a cord. Custodial, environmental services and facilities staff get extra practical content on cleaning methods, spill response, inspection and winter maintenance. Supervisors will find the reporting and investigation guidance useful for their teams.

How long does it take?

About 2 hours: seven short modules with scenarios, interactive exercises and knowledge checks, followed by a 23-question final assessment. You need 80% to pass. You can pause and come back at any time.

Will my employer pay for slip-resistant shoes?

It depends. OSHA requires employers to pay for most required personal protective equipment, with some exceptions for everyday safety footwear that employees may wear off the job. Many employers have their own footwear policies or programs. Ask your supervisor or HR what your employer requires and provides.

What do I get when I finish?

A certificate of completion showing your name, the course title, the date and 2 contact hours, plus job aids: a slip, trip and fall hazard checklist, a job hazard analysis template, an incident report form and a training sign-off record. It is not an OSHA card or a state approval.

This course is general education and training awareness from CE Courses Hub on slip, trip and fall prevention. It is not legal, medical or professional advice and does not replace your employer's policies, your licensing board's rules, or advice from a qualified professional. Completing it earns a certificate of completion for the stated contact hours; it is not approved or accredited by any licensing board, state agency or accreditor unless an approval is shown on the course page. Check with your board, employer or state agency whether this course meets your specific requirement.