As noted by Anapol Schwartz, Attorneys at Law, in their section entitled “Serious Injuries Can Result from Falls,” “Hospital floors are often slippery because of spills or cleaning solutions and they are often cluttered with medical equipment.”  Though you would assume that patients and staff should feel safe in a hospital environment, hazardous risks still play a key role in accidents and can result in slips and falls.  Schwartz continues to say that “it is estimated that 10% of the falls result in injury occur while they (patients) are in a healthcare institution such as a hospital.”

Slips and falls in hospitals can be a result of many circumstances.  For patients, accidents can occur due to slippery floors or a combination of slippery floors and the medication they are taking, which can affect their balance.  Patients that are suffering dementia or osteoporosis are at an even higher risk of life threatening slip and fall injuries due to their bone sensitivity.  Hip injuries and brain injuries are a result of slips and falls, especially in hospital environments.  Schwartz states that “about 8,000 people in the United States died from a fall that resulted in traumatic brain injuries and that another 56,000 suffered significant injuries.”

Healthcare workers are also prone to slip and fall injuries resulting in excessive time off work.  PubMed.gov notes in an article entitled “Evaluation of a Comprehensive Slip, Trip and Fall Prevention Program for Hospital Employees” that “The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the incidence rate of lost workday injuries from slips, trips and falls on the same level in hospitals was 35.2 per 10,000 full-time equivalents, which was 75% greater than the average rate for all other private industries combined.”

How can we prevent these injuries? OSHA provides a few possible solutions to this problem.

Possible solutions to slip, trip and fall injuries in hospitals include:

• Keeping floors clean and dry
• Providing warning signs for slippery floor areas
• Maintaining drainage where wet processes are used
• Keeping aisles and passageways clear of obstruction and in good condition
• Providing safe and sanitary walking/working surfaces

Other good practices include:

• Reporting and cleaning up hazardous spills immediately
• Using non slip surfaces in slippery areas, which can include toilet and shower areas
• Using properly maintained ladders when reaching for items
• Eliminating carpet bulges and bunches to prevent a trip hazard

Providing non slip surfaces on the interior floors, in areas such as slip resistant stair treads, as well as exterior floor surfaces, in areas like non slip ramps, will help prevent slip and fall injuries for both staff and patients alike, eliminating life threatening injuries and potential law suits.

Anapol Schwartz. “Serious Injuries Can Result from Falls.”

Bell JL, Collins JW, Wolf L, Grongvist R, Chiou S, Chang WR, Sorock GS, Courtney TK, Lombardi DA, Evanoff B. “Evaluation of a comprehensive slip, trip and fall prevention program for hospital employees.”

OSHA.gov “Hospital eTool: Healthcare Wide Hazards – Slips, Trips and Falls”

Filed under: Safety Tips by Beth Faraci