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Give Winter the Slip, Not Employees

Are you ready for the MOL’s slips, trips and falls enforcement blitz this November?

 

In Canada, some 60,000 workers are injured annually due to falls. That represents about 15% of the lost-time injuries accepted by workers’ compensation boards or commissions across the country. In addition to it being a great economic loss, slips, trips and falls account for a great deal of pain and suffering, and sometimes even death. It doesn’t have to happen, and in November, MOL inspectors will be knocking on doors to find out how you’re managing this ubiquitous hazard.

Eliminating slips, trips and falls depends on:  

• Understanding how they happen;
• Identifying the trouble areas; and,
• Eliminating or minimizing the hazards.

How do people fall

Falls happen in two ways: 60% result from slips and trips, and the remaining 40% from a height. Here we address slips and trips.

What causes slips and trips

Slips happen where there is too little friction or traction between the footwear and the walking surface. Common causes of slips include:

• Wet or oily surfaces;
• Occasional spills;
• Weather hazards;
• Loose, unanchored rugs or mats, and;
• Flooring or other walking surfaces that do not have same degree of traction in all areas.

Trips, on the other hand, happen when your foot collides, strikes or hits an object, causing you to lose balance, and eventually fall. Common causes of tripping include: .

• Obstructed view;
• Poor lighting;
• Clutter in your way;
• Wrinkled carpeting;
• Uncovered cables;
• Bottom drawers not being closed;
• Uneven steps, thresholds and walking surfaces.

Being in a hurry, especially in congested spaces during peak work flow times, contributes to both slips and trips—especially when you add wet surfaces or other hazards to the mix.

Four ways to prevent slips and trips

Both slips and trips result from unintended or unexpected changes between the feet and the ground or walking surface. Good housekeeping, the quality of walking surfaces (flooring), selection of proper footwear, and the effective design of work flow are critical factors for preventing falls.

Housekeeping: Good housekeeping is the first and the most fundamental level of preventing falls due to slips and trips. It includes:

Cleaning all spills immediately;

• Marking spills and wet areas;
• Mopping or sweeping debris from floors;
• Removing obstacles from walkways and always keeping them free of clutter;
• Securing (tacking, taping, etc.) mats, rugs and carpets that do not lay flat;
• Always closing file cabinet or storage drawers;
• Covering cables that cross walkways;
• Keeping working areas and walkways well lit;
• Replacing used light bulbs and faulty switches.

Without good housekeeping practices, other preventive measures, such as installation of engineered flooring, specialty footwear or training on techniques of walking and safe falling, will never be fully effective.

Flooring: Changing or modifying walking surfaces is the next level of preventing slips and trips. Recoating or replacing floors, and installing mats, pressure-sensitive abrasive strips or abrasive-filled, paint-on coating and metal or synthetic decking, can further improve safety and reduce risk of falling. In addition, resilient, non-slippery flooring prevents or reduces foot fatigue and contributes to slip prevention measures. However, it is critical to remember that high-tech flooring requires good housekeeping just as any other flooring would.

Footwear: In workplaces where floors may be oily or wet, or where workers spend considerable time outdoors, prevention of falls should focus on selecting proper footwear. Since there is no footwear with anti-slip properties for every condition, it is highly recommended that employers consult with the manufacturers. Properly fitting footwear increases comfort and prevents fatigue which, in turn, improves safety for the employee.

Work flow: Analyze the flow of work during a regular work day, especially at peak periods, and correct any instances of  bottlenecks and congestion that cause employees to bump into one another.

How employers and employees can work together

Safety is everybody’s business. While it is the responsibility of employers to provide a safe work environment for all employees, use your “health and safety talks” to remind staff that they can improve their own safety by:  

• Taking their time (walking at an appropriate pace is a simple but effective way to prevent slips and trips) and paying attention to where they are going;
• Adjusting their stride to a pace that is suitable for the walking surface and the tasks they are doing;
• Walking with the feet pointed slightly outward;
• Making wide turns at corners;
• Always using installed light sources that provide sufficient light for the task;
• Using a flashlight if they enter a dark room where there is no light;
• Ensuring that the items they are carrying or pushing do not prevent them from seeing any obstructions, spills, etc.

Source: “Prevention of Slips, Trips and Falls” http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/safety_haz/falls.html, OSH Answers, Canadian Centre of Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS), retrieved August 2009. Reproduced with the permission of CCOHS, 2009.  

 

 

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