SLIPS, TRIPS AND FALLS

THINGS TO LOOK FOR (be aware of):

• Slips, trips, and falls are one of the leading accidents in the workplace, accounting for 20 percent of all nonfatal injuries.
• Surprisingly, they affect professional, technical, and clerical workers and rank third overall in lost workdays.
• Statistics of Workers’ Compensation reported cases show that falls from the same level are more than double falls from an elevation.

REMEDIES:

For slips:

• Slippery floor surfaces
• Loose rugs, carpets, and flooring
• Liquid, moisture or ice on the floor
• Food, rubbish, and small objects on the floor
• Oil or grease on the floor
• Footwear that do not have nonskid soles

For trips:

• Furniture arrangement that create obstacles for employees to get around
• Materials stored in passageways, aisles, and stairways
• Electrical or telephone cords that cross passageways and aisles
• Protruding electrical receptacle outlets on the floor
• Hazardous floor conditions; for example, protruding nails, holes, or loose boards
• Loose, ripped, or bunched up carpets and rugs
• Untidy conditions with small objects, tools, or rubbish on the floor
• Desk or file cabinet drawers left open when they are no longer being used
• Objects protruding into passageways and aisles
• Floor level changes or hidden steps that may not be obvious
• Unsafe stairway conditions or unsafe stairway use
• Elevator cars that do not level off at the same height of the floor it stopped at
• Insufficient lighting for walking or working areas

For falls:

• Using "makeshift" items (boxes, buckets, chairs, etc.) to gain more height
• Employees not sitting on "4-square" of their chairs
• Employees carrying large or too many items that prevents them from seeing where they are going
• Employees jumping from one level to another
• Employees wearing long clothing that catches on their heels