Slipping is a major cause of injuries, both at home and at work. Here are seven statistics and facts on slipping hazards.

1. Here are two things to know about footwear in the workplace: People working in predominantly wet conditions should wear footwear with a pattern that is deep enough to penetrate surface water and make direct contact with a floor. However, people working in predominantly dry conditions should use footwear having flat-bottom construction to ensure maximum contact area with the floor.
2. Ten common slipping hazards include spills of liquid or solid materials; wet cleaning methods; rain or snow inside doorways; changes in floor surfaces, such as joins between carpeting and wood flooring; a change from a wet to a dry surface; dusty or sandy surfaces; the incline of a ramp; loose/bumpy flooring; low light; and unsuitable footwear. (SafeWorkAustralia)
3. Shoes with urethane or rubber soles have greater slip resistance than shoes with vinyl or leather soles.
4. Five housekeeping practices that can help reduce slipping hazards in the workplace include removal of debris, snow and ice; prompt cleanup of spills; regular cleaning of floors; providing mats in areas prone to getting wet—such as building entrances; and cleaning the casters on wheeled carts. (Ontario Ministry of Labour)
5. Slips and trips are the most common cause of major injuries at work, with 95 percent of major slips resulting in broken bones. (Health and Safety Executive, United Kingdom)
6. It takes about seven minutes for a wet-mopped spill to dry, meaning that the area is going to be extremely slippery during that time. A better solution is to use a dry paper towel to soak up and dry a spill.
7. Footwear accounts for 24 percent of all slip and fall accidents. (National Floor Safety Institute)

Whether moving too quickly on an icy walkway or hurrying out of the shower across tile in your birthday suit to catch a ringing telephone, it’s surprising how quickly you can end up on the floor or ground with a throbbing head, or excruciating pain from an elbow or tailbone smacking the ground. Here are seven facts relating to slipping hazards and consequences: