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Identifying And Preventing Slip And Fall Hazards In The Workplace
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Slips, trips and falls to the same level cause over 221,000 lost work time injuries each year, according to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics. Identifying workplace slip and fall hazards and creating a written floor safety plan are the first steps to minimizing and eliminating these hazards, which the National Safety Council estimates cost industry over $70 billion per year in workers’ compensation and medical claims.
In about 55% of slip and fall cases, the walking surface is primarily to blame for the incident, followed by inappropriate footwear in 24% of injuries. Establishing and enforcing a floor safety program that addresses these and other floor safety issues can reduce the probability of a slip and fall injury by up to 90%, according to the National Floor Safety Institute (NFSI).
Map it out
Slips, trips and falls can - and do - happen anywhere. Incident and near-miss reports can be a starting point for determining where hazards may exist in a workplace, but these should not be the sole focus for floor safety planning. Use a diagram of the facility as a checklist to make sure that all areas are assessed – including parking lots, sidewalks, lobbies, break rooms and other common areas.
Determine what efforts (such as slip-resistant footwear, aisle runners, absorbents, surface preparations or other media) are already being used in each area. Ask workers or supervisors about their effectiveness and for suggestions on how floor safety could be improved in each area.
A machine called a tribometer can also help determine if a floor surface is likely to contribute to a Slips, trips and falls incident. Tribometers measure a surface’s Coefficient of Friction (CoF), and models are available for testing both wet and dry surfaces. In general, surfaces with a higher CoF are less likely to contribute to a slip and fall incident. The findings from a tribometer often help uncover unknown problem areas.
Ask cleaning crews about the types and amounts of cleaners used to clean floors, aisles and other walking surfaces. Sometimes, “dangerous” floors are a result of the floors being cleaned with the wrong type of cleaner, or the right cleaner is being used, but too much or too little is being used, making it ineffective. Flooring and cleaning chemical manufacturers are two good resources for information about proper floor maintenance.
Create a plan
Written floor safety plans are not required by OSHA, but they can help show compliance with the General Duty Clause and the “clean, dry floor” regulation. [29 CFR 1910.22(a)]
Seek input and advice from a variety of individuals throughout the facility, such as workers, supervisors, cleaning staff, and the safety committee, to help ensure that plans will be effective. Often, these individuals can identify simple, low-cost solutions to problems in their work areas – especially when it comes to general housekeeping measures. Be sure to address concerns, such as lack of time for proper cleaning at the end of each shift, with supervisors or production schedulers and determine workable solutions that meet both needs.
Address problem areas
Before plans are put into place, address problem areas that were found during the audit. Simple changes, like providing measuring devices to help ensure that the correct amount of floor cleaner is being used, may be able to be acted upon quickly.
Create a timetable for larger projects, and anything that may require more time or capitol to be completed. For example, resurfacing the floor in a production area may need to be scheduled during the plant shut-down in the summer.
Consider footwear for all employees
Providing slip-resistant footwear for production workers who work in areas where overspray is common should seem obvious, but also consider office workers, supervisors and others who may not regularly work in these areas but who are in slip-prone areas routinely or occasionally. Because they are not as used to walking in these areas, they are often more likely to sustain a slip and fall injury. Plans should address the required footwear for these individuals as well.
Signage can be used in various areas to reinforce the need for proper footwear, the need to clean up incidental leaks and spills, the need for increased caution in areas with overspray, or other specific needs throughout the facility.
Stock supplies
As problem areas are corrected, providing the proper tools to keep these areas cleaner and safer helps ensure that the problem does not resurface.
Making an investment to etch a floor and coat it with a non-slip epoxy coating won’t help reduce slips and falls if no one maintains it properly. Degreasing the floor in a fluid dispensing area won’t have long-term results if there are no supplies stocked in the area to clean up incidental leaks and drips as they happen.
Supplies may be as simple as a broom and dustpan for production areas, absorbent mats or wipers in fluid dispensing areas, or matting in areas with overspray. Whatever the solution, it needs to be readily available and accessible so that the people working in the area can utilize it as needed. Stocking supplies in a locked closet in a remote area won’t help encourage the regular cleaning efforts that are typically necessary to keep floors cleaner and safer.
Even simple changes like sweeping the floor at the end of a shift need to be communicated and, when necessary, training should be scheduled to help ensure that new processes or procedures are understood and that everyone knows how to use new tools and supplies.
Act and re-evaluate
Floor safety programs are often implemented in phases. It is not necessary for every change to be in place throughout the facility before changes can occur in individual areas. If everyone has been provided with proper footwear and has been trained on its use, it makes sense to require its use “now” without waiting for a floor on the loading dock to be resurfaced next fall or for curbing in the parking lot to be re-pointed next spring.
Like most significant changes, having a floor safety plan may not solve every slip and fall problem overnight. However, taking the time to evaluate floor hazards and investing in resolutions to help minimize and eliminate floor safety problems is a worthy investment that has been proven to reduce these incidents.
Floor safety plans, like all safety plans, should be re-evaluated regularly to ensure that they are still effective. Even if floor plans or processes don’t change, floor surface characteristics can and do. Routine checks help ensure continued compliance and safety.
In about 55% of slip and fall cases, the walking surface is primarily to blame for the incident, followed by inappropriate footwear in 24% of injuries. Establishing and enforcing a floor safety program that addresses these and other floor safety issues can reduce the probability of a slip and fall injury by up to 90%, according to the National Floor Safety Institute (NFSI).
Map it out
Slips, trips and falls can - and do - happen anywhere. Incident and near-miss reports can be a starting point for determining where hazards may exist in a workplace, but these should not be the sole focus for floor safety planning. Use a diagram of the facility as a checklist to make sure that all areas are assessed – including parking lots, sidewalks, lobbies, break rooms and other common areas.
Determine what efforts (such as slip-resistant footwear, aisle runners, absorbents, surface preparations or other media) are already being used in each area. Ask workers or supervisors about their effectiveness and for suggestions on how floor safety could be improved in each area.
A machine called a tribometer can also help determine if a floor surface is likely to contribute to a Slips, trips and falls incident. Tribometers measure a surface’s Coefficient of Friction (CoF), and models are available for testing both wet and dry surfaces. In general, surfaces with a higher CoF are less likely to contribute to a slip and fall incident. The findings from a tribometer often help uncover unknown problem areas.
Ask cleaning crews about the types and amounts of cleaners used to clean floors, aisles and other walking surfaces. Sometimes, “dangerous” floors are a result of the floors being cleaned with the wrong type of cleaner, or the right cleaner is being used, but too much or too little is being used, making it ineffective. Flooring and cleaning chemical manufacturers are two good resources for information about proper floor maintenance.
Create a plan
Written floor safety plans are not required by OSHA, but they can help show compliance with the General Duty Clause and the “clean, dry floor” regulation. [29 CFR 1910.22(a)]
Seek input and advice from a variety of individuals throughout the facility, such as workers, supervisors, cleaning staff, and the safety committee, to help ensure that plans will be effective. Often, these individuals can identify simple, low-cost solutions to problems in their work areas – especially when it comes to general housekeeping measures. Be sure to address concerns, such as lack of time for proper cleaning at the end of each shift, with supervisors or production schedulers and determine workable solutions that meet both needs.
Address problem areas
Before plans are put into place, address problem areas that were found during the audit. Simple changes, like providing measuring devices to help ensure that the correct amount of floor cleaner is being used, may be able to be acted upon quickly.
Create a timetable for larger projects, and anything that may require more time or capitol to be completed. For example, resurfacing the floor in a production area may need to be scheduled during the plant shut-down in the summer.
Consider footwear for all employees
Providing slip-resistant footwear for production workers who work in areas where overspray is common should seem obvious, but also consider office workers, supervisors and others who may not regularly work in these areas but who are in slip-prone areas routinely or occasionally. Because they are not as used to walking in these areas, they are often more likely to sustain a slip and fall injury. Plans should address the required footwear for these individuals as well.
Signage can be used in various areas to reinforce the need for proper footwear, the need to clean up incidental leaks and spills, the need for increased caution in areas with overspray, or other specific needs throughout the facility.
Stock supplies
As problem areas are corrected, providing the proper tools to keep these areas cleaner and safer helps ensure that the problem does not resurface.
Making an investment to etch a floor and coat it with a non-slip epoxy coating won’t help reduce slips and falls if no one maintains it properly. Degreasing the floor in a fluid dispensing area won’t have long-term results if there are no supplies stocked in the area to clean up incidental leaks and drips as they happen.
Supplies may be as simple as a broom and dustpan for production areas, absorbent mats or wipers in fluid dispensing areas, or matting in areas with overspray. Whatever the solution, it needs to be readily available and accessible so that the people working in the area can utilize it as needed. Stocking supplies in a locked closet in a remote area won’t help encourage the regular cleaning efforts that are typically necessary to keep floors cleaner and safer.
Even simple changes like sweeping the floor at the end of a shift need to be communicated and, when necessary, training should be scheduled to help ensure that new processes or procedures are understood and that everyone knows how to use new tools and supplies.
Act and re-evaluate
Floor safety programs are often implemented in phases. It is not necessary for every change to be in place throughout the facility before changes can occur in individual areas. If everyone has been provided with proper footwear and has been trained on its use, it makes sense to require its use “now” without waiting for a floor on the loading dock to be resurfaced next fall or for curbing in the parking lot to be re-pointed next spring.
Like most significant changes, having a floor safety plan may not solve every slip and fall problem overnight. However, taking the time to evaluate floor hazards and investing in resolutions to help minimize and eliminate floor safety problems is a worthy investment that has been proven to reduce these incidents.
Floor safety plans, like all safety plans, should be re-evaluated regularly to ensure that they are still effective. Even if floor plans or processes don’t change, floor surface characteristics can and do. Routine checks help ensure continued compliance and safety.
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