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Stopping slips, trips and falls Slips, trips and falls comprise some of the most common workplace hazardous events. OHS professionals can do to reduce such hazards and subsequent incidents in the workplace. looks at what Centre has found that 51 per cent of hospitalisation cases can be attributed to slips trips, stumbles and falls on the same level, while injury deaths from slips trips and falls across the entire population are the highest of any other group – including transport related deaths. A It is clear that slips, trips and falls are cause for concern for any OHS professional. However, most companies pay lip service to their OHS responsibilities as far as slips, trips and falls go, according to Gary Martin, founder and technical director of ATTAR, a NATA accredited testing laboratory for slip resistance testing. "Why do I say that? Very few companies have their floors tested and even fewer have them regularly monitored. The BCA [Building Code of Australia] indicates floor surfaces should be slip resistant or non-slip, but fails to define these terms," Martin says. If companies are interested in compliance Martin says they can look up Standards Australia Handbook 197 and determine what level of slip resistance is appropriate for their application, and then select appropriate floor surfacing material and monitor its performance as it wears or is cleaned, by regularly testing. Common hazards In kitchens, liquid spills such as water, oil or detergent are the main cause of slips and falls, according to Jérémy Daunay, owner of TIGER-GRIP, which provides non-slip overshoes as well as safety cap overshoes. On slippery floors, if the adequate footwear is worn, business can dramatically reduce the risk of injuries, he says. All industries face very different causes of hazards and pitfalls, liquids spills in kitchens, wet tiles in the cleaning industry and in the roofing industry, slips in showers in the aged care, home care and healthcare industries, says Daunay. Martin says that behind slips, trips and falls are many factors, only some of which a company has control over. Floor surface factors, for example, include the coefficient of friction value of the floor versus the sole/heel of the shoe, the presence of foreign substances (such as water, oil, dust, food deposits or other liquids) and the condition of the floor due to wear, damage, changes in gradient as well as changes in slip resistance. ccidents from slips, trips and falls account for 19 per cent of all workplace injuries – second only to manual handling related accidents, according to research from WorkSafe Victoria. Furthermore, the Monash University Accident Research John McNeil, general manager of Safemate, which manufactures and supplies a wide range of antislip systems, says the most common hazard is basic housekeeping. "This is the number one issue, and if this is kept up to scratch it will eliminate 80 per cent of your slips, trips and falls hazards," he says. "Get someone from outside the company that has a different view to identify your hazards. It's good to have a third party, like ATTAR or WorkCover, walk through your workplace because they will notice things that you might not otherwise pay attention to on a daily basis. So get them to do an assessment for you – a lot of people will do this free of charge." What can be done Daunay says safety guidelines are usually a good checklist to start with, while training staff regularly in OHS matters is also very important. "Different anti-slip floorings are used to prevent injuries but fitting to anti-slip flooring standards does not stop slips and falls occurring on a daily basis. Floor grip is poor and still depends on the employees' shoes," he says. "The irregular floors' surface also prevents hygienic and effective maintenance. Each industry – I would even say each workplace – needs specific recommendations to avoid slips, trips and falls. Every company's working environments are different and therefore safety measures have to be adapted to perfectly address hazards and pitfalls." Martin recommends fostering a culture of immediately cleaning up any spills and eliminating trip hazards as well as regular cleaning, ensure attentiveness in relation to workplace risks (for example, not walking while talking on mobile phones or introducing deliberately distracting signage). Carrying out regular slip resistance testing to monitor the floor surface and any changes caused by wear or cleaning regime variations is also important, he adds. Advice for OHS professionals McNeil believes that safety professionals can become complacent about such hazards as they are often working in the same environment every day. "That's why it can be helpful to get a third party in to have a fresh look at things," he says. "In an office the OHS professional might not get down to the manufacturing site on a daily basis, but if they do it once a week they will pick up hazards they might otherwise miss. Similarly, if you get someone from the manufacturing site to walk through the office they might pick up on something like a hole in the carpet that's come about through everyday wear and tear. So those sorts of things can be picked up by an outside person." Craig Donaldson 68 The Australasian Mine Safety Journal Summer 2011/12