HOW TO PREVENT SLIPS AND FALLS AT WORK
There is danger lurking around every corner: even an attentive worker can slip or trip on a slippery floor or lose their balance and take a fall. This article discusses how to prevent accidents resulting from falls and slips.
WHAT ARE THE CAUSES OF FALLING OR SLIPPING AT WORK?
According to the French National Institute for Research and Safety (INRS), 10% of workplace accidents are caused by an employee falling or slipping in the workplace. This number is high, but it should not come as a surprise. After all, this type of accident is not exclusive to industries where dust and other materials end up on the workfloor. These accidents occur in every work environment.
Accidents due to slips or falls are often caused by a lack of preventive measures, poor organisation of the premises or poor maintenance of the floors. Employees may slip on dirty surfaces or, contrarily, on freshly scrubbed floors. Humid environments, too, have an inherent risk of falling. Other causes include a lack of anti-slip strips or handrails, wear and tear surrounding stepladder covers, unsafe steps, loose cables, clutter and insufficient lighting. Then there is employee inattentiveness, which can often cause accidents. In addition to environmental factors, primary causes include minor distractions, rushing under time pressure, stress and fatigue.
How can you prevent falling or slipping at work?
It stands to reason that we look primarily to the employer to prevent accidents resulting from falling or slipping at work. The company is responsible for creating a safe work environment. This can be done by taking various preventive measures.
Staff training
Training is essential. Every employee must be aware of the risks of slipping and falling. Through training (a safety presentation, for example), you can inform employees about the actions they should take in the event of a risky situation. In addition, the most important information, such as the speed at which people are allowed to move (walk, not run), must be clearly visible to all employees. You can do this, for example, by putting up warning posters and signage.
Personal protective equipment
Prevention is not only based on training. Safe, approved equipment is also required to perform tasks properly. For example, it is important to have sturdy safety shoes with extra grip in wet environments. These shoes must comply with the standards for 'personal protective equipment – safety shoes'. They also need to be comfortable and suitable for the activity at hand. There are three resistance classes: the SRA marking, which is especially suited for wet floors after polishing; the SRB marking, which is more suitable for grease-covered floors; and the SRC marking, which combines resistance to both water and/or products containing grease.
Collective protective equipment
Collective protective equipment is essential alongside personal protective equipment. The aim is not only to reduce the risk of serious injury, but to provide the necessary protection in the event of an accident. It all starts with good basic equipment. For example, the type of floor plays a very important role in falling and slipping in the workplace. As described above, a greasy or wet surface will make the floor slippery. The choice of flooring is therefore important: the slip threshold must be appropriate to the activity and take into account the dynamic friction coefficient (which should be greater than or equal to 0.30), the degree of exposure to inherent contaminants (grease, water, etc.), and the experimental standard for building classification.
To ensure optimal working conditions, the floor of the work environment must always be clean and dry. Dry substances such as cement dust, sawdust or sand, as well as liquid substances such as lubricating oil, water or polishes, all constitute a slip hazard. Pedestrian areas should be protected from the weather and be designed to make floor cleaning easy and efficient, e.g. with a gradient of 1.5 to 2 percent to enable water drainage. Several measures should also be taken to ensure the quality of the floor: avoid floors with joints and combining floor coverings with different levels of adhesion; limit differences in the condition of the floor, as this can cause a loss of balance or tripping; adhere to the method of cleaning the floor, etc.
Order is likewise an important tool for addressing safety in a business environment. People often trip in rooms where there is a lot of clutter. Avoid leaving objects lying around and tidy up cables and tools. You can also reduce the risk of falling or slipping by putting up a warning sign.
