Safety Talk

Don’t Slip Up A moment of distraction is all it took for Terrence’s foot to catch at the walkway’s edge, causing him to stumble. He recovered his balance but it was a close thing! Terrence is not the only one who trips at work. Slips and trips are the leading causes of accidents across industries. In this Safety Talk, you will learn what causes slips and trips and how to prevent them. What Can Go Wrong In general, slips and trips happen when you lose your footing and slide unintentionally or catch your foot on an object and stumble. There is any number of reasons why you might slip or trip in the workplace. A trip can be caused by damaged steps, uneven surfaces, or rumpled carpets and a slip might be caused by slick floors, sloped walking surfaces, or ice and snow. Both of these types of accidents can cause serious injuries – like sprained ankles, broken arms, or even fatal head injuries – and happen anywhere in your facility. So how can you prevent a slip or a trip at work? How to Protect Yourself Prevention is the key to protect yourself from slips and trips. Terrence may have never tripped on that walkway if the edges had been smooth and even. What else could he, and you, do to prevent trips in the future?

• Keep it clean! Make sure to put away tools and throw away trash in work or high traffic areas of the facility.
• Watch where you walk! Keep an eye on the walkway or path to avoid obstacles or go around icy patches.
• Light it up! Turn on the lights when walking into a room and make sure to replace burnt out bulbs.

To prevent slips, you and Terrence can:

• Clean it up! Wipe up small spills if you can. Larger spills should be marked and the appropriate person informed.
• Help protect others! Offer ideas and recommendation to help improve existing safety practices.
• Step it up! Wear the right shoes for the job to help prevent slips. You may need to wear hard or soft soles, depending on the facility’s walking surfaces. Not sure what’s appropriate? Ask your supervisor for advice.

Final Word Remember the walkway that Terrence tripped over? Well, it’s now smooth, after some maintenance, so that others don’t hurt themselves by tripping on it. Terrence is doing what he can to prevent slips and trips at his facility by using the suggestions made in this Safety Talk. You can too!