Slips and Trips: Temporary Walkways

Hazard-based toolbox talk 1 of 52, with a practical HOP exercise.

Plan a 5–10 minute toolbox discussion, plus time to verify the actual controls. The one-page toolbox talk and editable Word version are public. Separate supervisor and attendance records are included with free Safety & Systems membership.

Why this matters

A route can change between arrival and lunch. A delivery, hose or wet surface can turn yesterday’s clear path into today’s exposure.

Learning objective

Verify a usable walking route before the next work phase.

Key hazards or failure points

Loose coverings; wet surfaces; uneven transitions; trailing leads; poor visibility; detours into equipment movement.

Practical controls

• Keep passageways clear and in repair. Control the source of contamination and use the approved cleanup or repair method.
• Establish an approved alternative before closing a route. Coordinate deliveries, leads and waste so they do not defeat access.
• Assign responsibility for maintaining the route and communicating changes, including the return journey and emergency access.

Verify It in the Field

• From safe access, compare the whole route with the current plan; stop at unknown surfaces or restricted sections.
• Inspect transitions, coverings and visibility against site requirements. Obtain technical assessment for uncertain support; do not test it by stepping onto it.
• Ask an affected worker to identify the open route and who will restore or reassess it after the next delivery.

Stop and reassess

Hold access for an unsafe surface, blocked route or detour into another hazard. Protect the area, correct the condition and verify the route before reopening.

Crew discussion questions

• What changes our route next?
• Where could a detour create a worse exposure?
• Who confirms that the route can reopen?

For each required control, record its acceptance source and criterion, safe verification method, responsible verifier, actual result and time. Mark VERIFIED, HOLD/NOT VERIFIED, or N/A with a reason. Complete all required inspections; never enter danger or improvise a test to fill out a form.

Use this HOP tool

Job-site review

Choose the route the crew will use next. From safe access, name one condition that has changed and one that could change during the task. Assign who will verify the correction and tell everyone when the route is usable.

This exercise supports hazard identification or control verification. It does not replace safeguards, required training, specialist decisions or work authorization.

Leader preparation and practical detail

Study the route as work changes

Illustrative situation: packaging is removed but its delivery blocks the pedestrian route. The crew needs a protected route, not simply a cleaner work area. Study arrival, task access and departure, then identify which next operation could change those conditions.

Use the applicable access criteria

Construction 1926.25(a) addresses debris in passageways; 1926.250(a)(3) requires clear passageways in good repair. Level changes and ladder access also have specific provisions under 1926.1051. These references do not establish one universal walkway width, ramp design or slip-resistance number.

Make the route handoff visible

Record the route segment, condition observed, governing site arrangement, responsible person and time. The supervisor coordinates correction and communicates reopening to affected crews. A verbal promise to clear the path later does not establish usable access now. Unknown chemical contamination or structural support requires the appropriate specialist.

Short supervisor field check

• Route identified
• Surface condition
• Transition protection
• Delivery coordination
• Reopening authority

Use the separate sheet to document evidence, unresolved restrictions, correction owner, recheck and required release authority. Rebrief affected workers. This record does not replace specialist inspections, permits or engineering determinations.

Attendance and follow-through

Use the separate attendance record for participants, roles, questions, actions and late-arrival rebriefs. Attendance does not prove competence, functioning controls or authorization. Keep completed records private under employer procedures.

Source acknowledgment

HOP concepts are adapted from DOE-HDBK-1028-2009, Human Performance Improvement Handbook, Volume 2 (June 2009). Todd Jerome Jenkins makes no claim to authorship or copyright ownership of original U.S. Government work. The explanations and exercises are original adaptations; no endorsement by DOE or the U.S. Government is implied. Third-party material credited in the handbook retains its separate ownership.

HOP source: Volume 2/VOLUME 2 JOB-SITE REVIEW.pdf; Printed pp. 8–9. The handbook supplies concepts; task-specific technical references are listed below.

Technical scope and references

Technical sources inspected October 9, 2026; resource edition October 12, 2026. Apply current jurisdictional requirements, the actual task procedure, manufacturer instructions, permits and required competent or qualified decisions. This resource supplies no equipment-specific acceptance criteria.

1. OSHA 29 CFR 1926.25 — (a): clear construction debris from passageways.
2. OSHA 29 CFR 1926.250 — (a)(3): clear passageways in good repair.
3. OSHA 29 CFR 1926.1051 — (a): access between elevations and maintaining free passage.
4. DOE-HDBK-1028-2009 Volume 2 — Job-site review — Printed pp. 8–9; historical HOP tool basis, adapted exercise.

Connect this discussion to your JHA/JSA

Use the JHA/JSA planning and field-verification worksheet to connect this discussion to the actual task, controls and responsible people.

Related Todd Jerome Jenkins articles: How to Conduct a Job Safety Analysis and What Is Human and Organizational Performance?.

Related toolbox talks

• Housekeeping Is a Control
• Pre-Job JHA/JSA: What Changed Today?
• Job-Site Review: Does the Place Match the Plan?

Continue the hazard series

• Fall Rescue: Can We Reach the Worker?

Put one verification into practice

Record today’s change and evidence using the free JHA/JSA planning and field-verification worksheet.