Posted By Descarte
If your just walking and not carrying anything and it is not dark and not on a gradiant and not wet then perhaps just sturdy flat shoes / boots with good ankle support. If your juggling glass bottles of chemicals maybe you would need to look further into it.

So it depends what the risks are and if they are greater than slip trip fall at ground level.

But always use hierarchy of control, can you remove uneven surfaces, can you walk round them etc....

Posted By robert sherred
Thanks for your suggestions.
The risk cannot be removed I.e the pebbles until such time as they have been sampled for Beta Radation. Once cleared for radiation they will all be removed by mechanical means.
In the meantime we have 20 isolated samples to take over a 2000 square metre area.This will nessesitate individuals walking over an uneven surface.
We have already suffered loss time accidents of uncontrolled access to these areas!!
Suggested controls of ;
Pre job brief
selection of fit operatives
Raise awareness of hazard.(uneven surface)
Correct PPE (ankle boots)
Any others iv'e missed???

Posted By Tabs
In extreme, if you are getting repeated injuries, you could consider temporary walkways (boarding), quad bikes, or even snow shoe type approach.

Posted By Bob Shillabeer
Ummm? Just a question but is the activity walking on pebbles some sort of task??? Forgive me for being dull but what is the actual activity here. The type of floor or ground is a condition not a task. This trivia is what gets some peoples back up and promotes the safety overce culture. Let's get real for heavens sake.

Posted By Tabs
"We have already suffered loss time accidents"

Lost time accidents are not trivia - I would suggest that only looking at part of the problem is what will get us a bad name every time.

Obviously it is not like walking the dog - unless you too are suffering accidents?

The post by Robert is a legitimate enquiry because he has foreseen a risk and wants some ideas.

Posted By Bob Shillabeer
Not to keep on for the sake of it but what is the task? Walking on pebbles? For what purpose? Is it part of a wider activity such as inspecting something , making something, using something? Get my drift? One response talked about railway ballast, walking on railway ballast is not the task. The task is working on the track either doing inspection or maintaining the railway. The fact that walking on ballast is part of the job does not mean you need to risk assess the walking activity but rather the bigger task of maintaining the railway and the rest is associated stuff that needs to be taken into account and not separately risk assessed.

Posted By isfew
The activity appears to be:

'Taking radiation readings from a certain area on a pebble beach prior to possible remediation'

Hazards:

- Ionising radiation 'low level' ????
- Trips and falls 'on pebbles/uneven surface'
- Manual Handling 'Equipment etc.'
- Weather conditions 'we are on a beach..stormy?'

What controls are already in place?
- Trained staff
- PPE..weather proof clothing, safety boots, etc.
- Rad. counters

Bearing this in mind...what is the assessed level of risk regarding the hazards and with the controls already in place???

Medium - High, prioritise and do something!
Low - Current controls are likely to be fit for purpose.

Sorry for the long winded reply....just doing a RA in my head with my own picture of the situation.....may be of some assistance. Focus on the hazards likely to cause significant harm try to avoid the 'trivial'.

Ian.