We are coming into the season for higher reported slips, trips, and falls. We all have gotten out of a car and almost bailed it because of an icy condition during the winter months in Alberta; if someone were to deny this ever happening, please tell me your secret for 100% prevention.
The hazard of slips, trips, or falls is applicable to almost any person and we should all be mindful of this, whether we are on our way to work, perform our day to day tasks, leaving the jobsite, or even doing personal tasks.
It was identified that the common causes of slips, trips, and falls are:
- Housekeeping issues
- Condition of floors and stairways
- Environmental conditions
- Employee behaviour
- Inadequate footwear
- Inattention
As we look to reduce the possibility of the hazard, we should look at what we can to do prevent the hazard of slips, trips, or falls. We can look at the following as prevention methods:
- Clean up spills immediately, keep floors clean and free of clutter
- Keep walkways, aisles and stairs clear, install/maintain handrails
- Maintain floors, use slip resistant flooring
- Clear snow, ice and mud from outdoor pathways
- Put down salt or sand where there are identified slippery areas
- Block off areas that are slippery
- Change drain pipe location to a more suitable location
- Make sure lighting is adequate
- Wear appropriate slip resistant footwear
- Be aware of surroundings
At the end of the day we should continue to proactive mitigate the potential for slips, trips, and falls by implementing and doing some of the above preventative measures. We can be reactive after a reporting of an instance of slip, trip, or fall to ensure there are the proper steps taken to prevent this from recurring. Every business wants their employees, visitors, and the public to go home healthy and safe and we want to continue to have a thriving business with no claims.