Slip, Trip, and Fall Prevention
Did you know that slips, trips, and falls are the most common type of employee injury at Texas Health Resources in both 2012 and 2013? We saw an increase in frequency in 2013. Slips, trips and falls are often preventable injuries. Avoid the unnecessary aches and pains and mountains of paperwork by being aware of your surroundings. Learn how you can take actions to prevent these injuries.
Prevention
You can reduce the risk of slipping by:
- Ensuring that all spills and wet surfaces are immediately cleaned up from the floor.
- Wearing footwear that is appropriate for your tasks.
- Adjusting your stride to a pace that is suitable for the walking surface and the tasks you are doing.
You can reduce the risk of tripping by:
- Keeping areas where people walk clear from clutter or obstructions.
- Keeping flooring in good condition and informing your manager or real estate dept. of flooring that may present a safety hazard.
- Ensuring that you have good lighting around your office space and that visibility is not affected.
- Ensuring that things you are carrying or pushing do not prevent you from seeing any obstructions, spills, etc.
You can reduce the risk of falling by:
- Using a safe stepladder if you need to reach up to something that is higher than you can comfortably reach. Never use chairs or desks to climb on to access what you need.
- Carrying loads that you can safely handle. While carrying objects, make sure that you can see what is in front of you and that you are not carrying a load that is too heavy and could cause you to stumble.
- Using caution when ascending and descending ramps and stairways.
- Using caution when getting in and our of motor vehicles.
Most of all… Watch where you are going
- Taking your time and paying attention to where you are going and what is in front of you.