The Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) is calling on employers across the haulage and logistics sector to review the measures they have in place to prevent slips, trips and falls at work.
The warning comes as HSENI carries out a proactive on-site inspection programme, with inspectors focusing specifically on how businesses are identifying, assessing and controlling these common workplace risks.
For haulage, transport, warehousing and logistics businesses across Northern Ireland, the message is clear: now is the time to review your workplace, risk assessments and existing health and safety controls.
At Consult CPK, we work with businesses across Northern Ireland to help identify workplace hazards before they result in accidents, injuries or enforcement action.
Why Are Slips, Trips and Falls Such a Concern?
Slips, trips and falls can sometimes be dismissed as relatively minor workplace incidents. However, their consequences can be anything but minor.
They are among the most common causes of workplace injury and can result in fractures, sprains, head injuries, long-term absence from work and, in more serious circumstances, life-changing injuries.
The risks can be particularly significant within the haulage and logistics industry because employees regularly move between different working environments.
A driver’s working day, for example, may involve a warehouse, loading bay, yard, vehicle cab, trialer, customer premises and outdoor delivery locations. Each environment can present different hazards.
Common causes of slips and trips can include:
- Wet, oily or contaminated floors
- Uneven or damaged surfaces
- Poorly maintained yards and access routes
- Trailing cables or other obstructions
- Poor housekeeping
- Inadequate lighting
- Unsafe access to vehicles or trialers
- Materials or packaging left in pedestrian routes
- Weather-related hazards on external surfaces
Many of these hazards can be identified and controlled before somebody is injured.
HSENI Inspections Continue Until March 2027
HSENI’s inspection programme is particularly important for employers to be aware of.
From July 2026 until the end of March 2027, HSENI inspectors will specifically examine the controls employers have implemented to manage the risks associated with slips, trips and falls.
HSENI Principal Inspector Kellie McNamara highlighted the importance of the sector, noting that the movement of almost all goods in Northern Ireland involves road transport.
HSENI is encouraging employers to take straightforward preventative measures, including maintaining good housekeeping standards, providing safe walking surfaces and identifying hazards at an early stage.
Where significant risks or failures to comply with health and safety legislation are identified, HSENI inspectors may take enforcement action.
Would Your Business Be Ready for an HSENI Inspection?
This is an important question for every employer operating within haulage and logistics.
If an inspector arrived at your workplace, could you demonstrate that slip, trip and fall risks had been properly considered?
A business should be able to demonstrate that appropriate health and safety arrangements are not merely written down, but are being actively implemented and reviewed.
This could include evidence of current risk assessments, workplace inspections, maintenance procedures, staff training, incident reporting and action taken to address previously identified hazards.
The condition of the workplace itself will also matter. A risk assessment stating that pedestrian routes must be kept clear is of limited value if an inspection finds obstructed walkways, damaged surfaces or poorly maintained access routes.
The Importance of Regular Health & Safety Inspections
One of the most effective ways of preventing workplace accidents is through regular, structured health and safety inspections.
Workplaces change continually. Equipment is moved, surfaces deteriorate, working practices evolve and new hazards can develop.
A risk assessment completed several years ago and subsequently placed in a file is not an effective health and safety management system.
Regular inspections can help businesses identify issues such as damaged flooring, poor lighting, blocked pedestrian routes, spillages, unsuitable storage arrangements and unsafe vehicle access before an accident occurs.
Crucially, identifying the problem is only the first step. Businesses should also have a system for recording the issue, assigning responsibility for corrective action and confirming that the problem has been resolved.
Employers Have a Legal Responsibility
Employers have a legal duty to assess workplace risks and eliminate them where possible, or reduce those risks to as low a level as is reasonably practicable.
This means businesses should take a proactive approach rather than waiting until an employee is injured or an inspector identifies a problem.
Effective management of slips, trips and falls should form part of a wider health and safety management system incorporating:
- Suitable and sufficient risk assessments
- Regular workplace inspections
- Clear housekeeping procedures
- Planned maintenance
- Safe pedestrian and vehicle routes
- Appropriate lighting
- Staff information, instruction and training
- Effective accident and near-miss reporting
- Regular reviews of existing control measures
Near misses should also be taken seriously. An employee slipping but managing to regain their balance may not result in an injury, but it can provide an important warning that existing controls are inadequate.
Health & Safety Support for Northern Ireland Businesses
For employers concerned about whether their existing arrangements are sufficient, an independent review can provide valuable reassurance and identify areas requiring improvement.
Consult CPK provides professional Health & Safety consultancy and support to businesses throughout Northern Ireland, helping organisations understand their responsibilities and implement practical measures appropriate to their workplace.
Our support can include workplace inspections, risk assessments, health and safety management advice, policies, procedures and staff training.
The objective is not simply to produce paperwork. Effective health and safety management should create practical systems that work within the day-to-day operation of your organisation and help protect employees, visitors and contractors.
Don’t Wait for an Inspection to Find the Problems
HSENI’s current inspection programme should provide a timely reminder for businesses throughout the haulage and logistics sector.
Small hazards can have serious consequences.
A damaged walkway, poorly lit loading area, leaking container or obstruction left in the wrong place may appear insignificant until somebody is seriously injured.
Taking action now can help prevent accidents, protect employees and demonstrate that your organisation takes its health and safety responsibilities seriously.
If you operate a haulage, transport, logistics, warehouse or distribution business in Northern Ireland and would like an independent review of your current health and safety arrangements, speak to Consult CPK.
We can help you identify risks, review existing controls and ensure your organisation is better prepared for both day-to-day operations and a potential HSENI inspection.
Think Safe | Work Safe | Go Home Safe