Slips, Trips & Falls
Employees should be aware of scenarios in which slips, trips and falls could result in injury—or worse.
- By Sydny Shepard
- Jun 01, 2022
Have you ever lost your balance while confidently walking somewhere and for a split second you aren’t quite sure if you will stay upright or go tumbling to the ground? That split second of fear is elongated by the thoughts that run through your head and the pain that hits your chest. For some, the second ends and they regain their balance but for others they fall leading to serious injuries or even worse.
Slips, trips and falls sound like small hazards—everyone loses their balance from time to time, right? For employees in industrial, construction or warehouse settings, however, these hazards could be deadly. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, over 1,000 workers die each year as a result of a slip, trip or fall and countless other mild or serious injuries resulting in days away from work. In the construction industry, slips, trips and falls account for 37 percent of all fatal injuries on a job site.
Needless to say, it is of the utmost importance for employees to understand the hazards that may lead to a slip, trip or fall. Let’s take a look at each of these.
Slips
Slips can be defined as a loss of balance caused by too little friction between your feet and the surface you walk or work on. Slips are traditionally caused by wet surfaces, spills or weather-related hazards like snow or ice. According to OSHA, slips are most likely to occur when an employee is in a rush, wearing the wrong kind of footwear or is not paying attention to where they are walking.
There are several things that can be done to ensure that hazards resulting in slips are reduced in your facility or on your jobsite. First, be sure to train employees to practice safe walking skills. They should be taking short steps in areas in which they may find slippery surfaces, as this can help you keep your center of balance under you. Employees should be aware of when surfaces have been recently cleaned or waxed, with adequate signage placed in easy to locate and read spots that allow workers to slow down and move with caution.
All spills should be reported and cleaned up right away. Even minor spills can be very dangerous to an unsuspecting person moving through the space. Employers and safety professionals should also be diligent with grease buildups on floors or other surfaces an employee may find themselves on. This buildup of grease could lead to slips and falls as well.
This article originally appeared in the June 2022 issue of Occupational Health & Safety.