Slip, Trip and Fall Prevention Fort Lee Safety Office 765-3130

What’s the problem ? It is the #1 leading cause of injury STF’s represent about a fourth of all claims Each fiscal years there are thousands of cases Total incurred costs of these claims are in the tens of thousands.

Slip, Trip and Fall Claims Breakdown Same Level (50%) Different Level (14%) Stairs (14%) Liquid & Spills ( 9%) Slip / No Fall ( 5%) Ice / Snow ( 5%) Floor Openings ( 2%) Ladder / Scaffold ( 1%)

Slips Slip -loss of balance caused by too little friction between a person’s foot and a walking surface. Common Causes: Wet or oily surfaces, Occasional spills, Weather hazards, Loose, unanchored rugs or mats, and Flooring or other walking surfaces that are worn.

Trips Trip - hit an object, lose your balance and fall Common Causes: Obstructed view Poor lighting Clutter in your way Wrinkled carpeting Uncovered cables Drawers not being closed Uneven (steps, thresholds) walking surfaces

Falls Fall: - when you lose your balance & drop to the floor There are three types of falls: Falls on the same level Slip or trip immediately precedes fall to floor or walkway Falls to lower level Falls are from platforms, docks, ladders, steps or stairs Jumps to lower level An intentional jump from one level to another Employee jumps off ladder, dock, equipment

Prevention Good housekeeping Quality of walking surfaces (flooring) Selection of proper footwear Appropriate pace of work

Housekeeping Clean up spills immediately Mark spills and wet areas Mop or sweep debris from floor Remove obstacles from walkways Keep walkways free of clutter Secure mats, rugs and carpets

Housekeeping Cover cables that cross walkways Close file cabinet or storage drawers Cover cables that cross walkways Keep working areas and walkways well lit Replace burned out bulbs

Flooring Change or modify walking surfaces Recoat or replace floors Install mats Pressure-sensitive abrasive strips Abrasive-filled paint-on coating Metal or synthetic decking

Footwear Conditions: Floors - oily or wet Considerable time outdoors Advantages Properly fitted Increased comfort Prevent fatigue Improve safety

What can YOU do to avoid slipping at work? Take your time Pay attention Adjust stride to the task Walk with feet pointed slightly outward Make wide turns at corners. Discuss with the participants the techniques used for avoiding slips at work. Take your time and pay attention to where you are going. Adjust your stride to a pace that is suitable for the walking surface and task you are doing. Walk with your feet slightly pointed outward Make wide turns at corners Ask participants if they can think of any other techniques that might help avoid a slip at work. Discussion Here are some additional things to consider: Clean up your messes Use handrails on steps Climb safely

What can YOU do to avoid tripping at work? Sufficient lighting Portable lighting Watch where you are walking Carrying or pushing objects obstructions, spills or objects lying on the floor Discuss with participants the techniques used for avoiding tripping at work. Always used installed light sources that provide sufficient light for the task. Use a flashlight or other portable light source (flood lights, light sticks, stationary lights) if you enter dark areas where there is no light. Watch where you are walking. Ensure that what you are carrying or pushing does not prevent you from seeing obstructions, spills or objects lying on the floor) Ask participants if they can think of any other techniques that could help avoid a trip at work. Discussion Here are some other things to consider: Steer around hazards Do not carry loads that block your view

Inclement Weather Slow down to react to a change in traction Wearing slip-resistant shoes or overshoes carry your work shoes Sunglasses outdoors in ice and snow Treat walking surfaces Wet shoes on dry floors – Caution ! Discuss “Inclement Weather”. Talk about snow, ice, rain, wind, hail and dew. Remember that all of these conditions can create a hazardous walking surface. Discuss points on slide and ask participants if they have examples of injuries that could have been caused by inclement weather. Discussion Remember, wet shoes on a dry surface can be just as hazardous as dry shoes on a wet surface.

Report Hazards Immediately If you cannot fix the hazard yourself then: Immediately report the hazard Alert or warn others in the area Mark the area or stay there until help arrives Hazards not fixed in a timely manner Contact the your Unit Safety Officer Ask participants what they do if they come across a hazard. Discussion Review your agency’s specific policy or procedures on reporting accidents.

Can you identify what is wrong in the following pictures? The following pictures are generic in nature and can be used in any presentation concerning STF. It is strongly recommended that the instructor take agency specific pictures. Incorporate those pictures into this training program. Remember, if you take pictures that the participants can identify with, you will get better results and buy-in.

Ask the participants what is wrong with this slide. Discussion Move onto the next slide.

This is a broken stair. Explain to participants that this defect/hazard could contribute to a STF. Ask the participants what should be done. Discussion

Ask the participants what is wrong with this slide. Discussion Move onto the next slide.

This slide represents a trip and fall hazard. If you look closely at the slide, the root of the tree has grown under the walkway and pushing the brick up. Uneven walking surfaces. Trip and fall from the same level. NOTE: Refer back to the slide that represents Slip, Trip and Fall Claims breakdown. Remember that falls from the same level represent 50 % of all STF.

Ask participants what is wrong with this slide. Discussion Ask participants how they would fix this hazard. This slide represents a trip hazard. Here you can see an electrical cord in the middle of the walkway. This cord is plugged into an electrical outlet. Rearrange the room so that the piece of equipment is close to the outlet or have an additional outlet installed. If there is no way to rearrange the room or install a new outlet, then run the cord up the wall across the ceiling and down the wall to prevent the trip and fall hazard. The last resort would be to tape down the cord or use a cord cover as a means of preventing someone from tripping.

Ask the participants what is wrong with this slide. Discussion Ask the participants how this hazard could be corrected. This slide represents a slip and fall hazard. There is a spill on the floor. Move on to the next slide.

This slide represents a spill that has been identified. Using a sign to notify individuals that the floor is wet is a good preventive measure. Remember though, that just because it has been identified, it must still be cleaned up.

Ask participants what is wrong with this slide. Discussion Ask the participant how they would address this situation This slide represents trip and/or fall hazard. A portion of the sidewalk has given way to a sink-hole. If you look in the upper left hand corner you will see a barricade. Anytime a significant size hole is identified on walking surface, barricades or indicators of some sort should be installed around the hole to prevent a trip and fall.

Ask the participants if they can identify the hazard in this slide. Discussion Look in the middle of the slide and you will see a portion of the flooring that has either worn away or been removed. Ask the participants why this is a hazard. This slide represents a slip, trip and fall hazard. Think about why all three are possible and discuss with the participants.

Ask participants what is wrong with this slide. Discussion This slide represents a slip, trip and fall hazard. Slip: if it is wet outside and the mat is folded back, then the floor is getting wet instead of the mat absorbing the water. Trip: the mat is folded back and someone could catch their foot on the mat and trip. Fall: both a wet floor and caught foot could contribute to a fall.

Ask participants what is wrong with this slide. Discussion This slide represents a trip and fall hazard. In this picture you can see that the sidewalk is uneven.

Ask the participants if they can identify all the hazards located in this slide. Discussion This picture is of a stairwell. The fire door should not be propped open. Storage of materials should be in stairwells. Trip hazards: Trash cans in front of doorway. Cinderblock propping open the door. Chair is blocking an emergency cut-off valve. The chair could also represent a struck against hazard. Someone goes to sit in the chair, and strikes their head on the pipe and valve behind it. This chair could also encourage smoking in the stairwell. Any other hazards?

Ask participants to identify the hazard in this slide. Discussion This slide represents a trip and fall hazard. Here is a damaged piece of flooring. Someone has attempted to fix it by placing tape over the area that is lifting up.

Contact The Safety Office For Addition Training Material Fort Lee Safety Office 765-3130 Contact The Safety Office For Addition Training Material Ask the participants if they have any additional questions. Discussion Thank the participants for attending. Dismissal