Watching Out: Slip and Fall Safety

At almost all workplaces, from restaurants to industrial fabrication, slips and falls can be a serious safety hazard. Like myself and 42,000 other Canadians yearly, I'm sure many of you have slipped, hopefully without causing serious harm to yourself. The CCOHS outlines 4 ways to reduce the chances of slips, trips and falls in the workplace:

1) Housekeeping 2) Walking surfaces 3) Footwear and 4) Walking

Housekeeping 

• Clean spills and mark the areas where they happened immediately
• Keep floor free of debris
• Keep walkways clean and free of clutter
• Secure carpets and rugs to the ground
• Keep cabinets closed
• Cover cables if they are in walking paths
• Keep walking areas well lit

Walking Surfaces

• Modify walking areas to to provide secure footing 
• Replace or re-coat old floors
• Installing resilient, non-slip flooring to reduce foot fatigue

Footwear

• Check with footwear manufacturers to see what products are best for your workplace
• Make sure that your footwear fits properly and comfortably to reduce foot fatigue

Walking

• Pay attention to where you are walking to avoid wet flooring
• Don't rush, walk at a pace that is suitable for the walking surface you are on
• Make wide turns to avoid collisions
• Ensure that if you are carrying something, it does not obstruct your view

Hopefully this article will help keep you safe from slips and falls! for more information go to: 

http://www.ccohs.ca/newsletters/hsreport/issues/2013/04/ezine.html#hsreport-tipstools 

http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/safety_haz/falls.html

Stay safe Irwinners!

Image credit: http://injuryottawa.ca/slip-and-fall-personal-injury-claim/