What Is an Employer’s Duty to Prevent Falls?

Posted in Slip and Fall Accidents on April 30, 2026

When you consider workplace injuries in New York, you may think of dramatic crane accidents and scaffolding collapses, but workers’ compensation data in New York and elsewhere report slip-and-fall accidents as the most common cause of workplace injury. Under labor standards set by New York’s Department of Labor and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), employers must implement safety protocols, ensure ongoing training, regularly inspect workplaces for fall hazards, and implement efficient reporting protocols for workplace injuries.

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Maintaining a Safe Workplace That’s Free From Slip-and-Fall Hazards

Under OSHA standards and New York’s Labor Law, employers must prevent not only falls from heights, but also common slip-and-fall injuries. Still, according to the National Safety Council (NSC), there were 844 deaths from workplace falls in a single recent year. Many of these falls are preventable when the employer upholds their legal duty to do the following:

Regularly inspect workplaces for slip and fall hazards
Train managers and supervisors to implement safety rules, such as eliminating clutter, addressing spills and other causes of wet floors, and eliminating dangling power cords
Repairing broken or uneven flooring
Adequately lit workspaces
Keep walkways free of debris and tools
Apply rules for quickly disposing of trash and debris in proper receptacles
Supply and utilize warning signs for wet floors
Train employees to use carts for transporting items rather than carrying boxes or packages that can block the view of the floor or ground surface
Mark floor level changes with “Step-up” or “Step-down” signs
Ensure that all staircases have handrails
Require employees to wear safe shoes with non-skid soles

Preventing slips, trips, and falls is a key aspect of an employer’s duty to maintain a safe workplace for employees and others legally on the property, including contractors, vendors, delivery workers, and customers.

Preventing Falls From Heights In Workplaces

Employers in high-risk industries like construction must not only prevent slip-and-fall accidents, but also carefully adhere to OSHA standards for working from heights, including the following safety requirements:

Install required fall guardrail systems and toeboards
Require the appropriate use of personal fall arrest systems
Install safety net systems below high work areas
Place protective covers over skylights and holes
Follow all safety requirements for scaffolding construction and usage
Follow OSHA safety standards for ladder usage in the workplace

Employers must ensure they provide a work environment for their employees that’s free from known hazards.

Implement Incident Reporting and Response Methods

An employer must also implement procedures for reporting workplace accidents and injuries and for responding appropriately to emergencies. For instance, an injured employee’s immediate supervisor must fill out an accident or incident report. The injured employee must report the injury to their employer in writing within 30 days. When a workplace accident occurs, and an employer receives an official report from an employee notifying them of the employee’s injury, the employer must notify workers’ compensation within 10 days of receiving the report.

Finally, the employer must also put strategies in place to prevent recurring accidents and injuries.

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