How To Prevent Slips, Trips, And Falls

Knowing where accidents may happen is the first step to reduce these risks.

There are a lot of complexities to how people move around. They may travel in only one direction or both. If traffic goes both ways, people may have to avoid each other, a tricky proposition on a slippery surface. Intersections can also be risky.

Auditors should also note the different types of traffic. In a work environment, employees may share walkways with carts, trucks, or forklifts. This escalates the importance of traction—an employee needs solid footing to stop a heavy cart.

Traffic rhythms in public places can be different. The sudden surges between innings at a baseball game for instance. The focus is the same. Follow the people and the hazards will reveal themselves.

2. Impact Of The Environment

The second consideration is the environment. Food processing plants and other facilities that process chemicals or use liquids during production may have many areas that are constantly wet. Grease and fats can accumulate on the floor along the processing line or around trenches and drains, dramatically increasing fall risks. Spills in the workplace often bring production to a halt until they are cleaned up if the right flooring isn’t in place.

Pay close attention to elevated surfaces such as platforms, crossovers, catwalks, and ladders. They are used extensively in wet manufacturing facilities so employees can access and maneuver around mixing tanks and equipment. If elevated surfaces become wet and slippery from liquid, grease, blood, and oil spillover, the likelihood an employee slips and falls increases and falls from heights often result in more severe injuries.

preventing slips trips falls
If a high fall risk area becomes wet and slippery, there’s a greater chance a fall will result in more serious injuries. (Photo: SLIPNOT)

Safety inspectors should also factor in weather. Exterior walkways and entryways can be icy and wet several months of the year. People can track snow and water indoors from loading docks and vestibules. In humid environments, condensation can also generate wet conditions.

In addition, check for obvious trip hazards, such as neoprene mats or peeling tape. Sometimes, there can be actual signage to show an auditor a high-risk area that needs retrofitting, such as Slippery When Wet signs, neon orange cones, and caution tape. These are quick fixes that highlight a larger problem that should be addressed.

During the safety assessment, inspectors should chat with the people who frequent the space. They often know which areas are risky and may tailor their habits to avoid them. Interviews can also reveal close calls, which will highlight dangerous areas that should be permanently mitigated. Nothing is more valuable than people’s own experiences when trying to identify risks and developing strategies to fix them.