According to an article by Fred Hosier entitled &lquo;12 Common Mistakes in Slip, Trip and Fall Prevention“, &lquo;Slips, trips and falls are routinely one of the top causes of injuries in workplaces.  They also subtract from a company’s bottom line due to medical and workers’ compensation insurance, lost productivity and retraining costs.&rquo;  There are many different methods that are used to prevent these injuries from occurring, but some of them don’t stand up to the challenge.

According to a survey of companies, here are the 12 most common slip, trip and fall prevention mistakes:

• Starting the project from &lquo;scratch&rquo; – It isn’t necessary to start from scratch when there is already a list of standard walking surface requirements provided by ASTM and ANSI.
• Not specifying a controlled walking style – It fits along the lines of &lquo;walk, don’t run&rquo; and making sure to be in tune with their walking pathway.
• Not measuring the walking conditions – A proper test, including testing wet conditions, will help determine whether or not the flooring can withstand it.
• Changes in stair flights – Stairs should be indicated with a color marking or be well-lit to indicate these changes.  Another method would be to incorporate slip resistant stair treads into the construction of these stairs to provide added safety.
• Proper footwear – Footwear should include skid resistant treads.
• Assuming that nothing is wrong – If an employee takes a wrong step, but doesn’t fall completely, it could be misconstrued as a minor situation.  These incidents should still be taken just as seriously and proper attention must be made.
• Improper care of flooring – Proper cleaning methods must be observed to ensure a safe walking condition for employees, among others.
• Relying on a single method – It shouldn’t be assumed that just one method for proper floor care is enough.  Employers need to be prepared for when methods fail and always have a backup alternative.
• Chemical control – Employers need to eliminate any contaminants, whether they be from weather conditions or even food-related, such as oils and grease.
• Improper cleaning methods – Flooring needs to be cleaned on a daily basis and spills need to be taken care of at the time of discovery.
• Making a poor selection on flooring based on existing conditions – When making any changes to existing flooring, employers need to make sure that the new flooring will work with the existing flooring.  For example, if they wanted to incorporate a non slip floor plate to an existing steel condition, a non slip steel floor plate would be the best solution.
• Lack of follow-up – A strong policy should be enforced when selecting flooring and when setting standards for cleaning methods.  In addition, all injuries need to be reported immediately, including those that don’t result in an injury.

By incorporating slip resistant flooring methods, such as stair treads, floor plate and ladder rungs, as well as enforcing proper cleaning and follow-up methods, employees could feel safe with every step they take.

Hosier, Fred. &lquo;12 Common Mistakes in Slip, Trip and Fall Prevention.&rquo;

Filed under: Safety Tips by Beth Faraci