DID YOU KNOW?

In Canada over 42,000 workers get injured annually due to fall incidents. This number represents about 18% of the “time-loss injuries” that were accepted by workers’ compensation boards or commissions across Canada (based on statistics from Association of Workers’ Compensation Boards of Canada, 2016).

Statistics show that the majority (67%) of falls happen on the same level resulting from slips and trips. The remaining 30% are falls from a height. This document will summarize information on “falls on the same level” (slips and trips). Falls from an elevation, such as falls from ladders, roofs, down stairs or from jumping to a lower level, etc., is discussed in the Safety Belts, Harnesses, and Lanyards document since each type of fall requires different features in a fall prevention program.

According to the CDC, about 1.1 million people are treated for burn injuries every year. Of all burns requiring hospitalization, 38-58% are due to hot liquids or steam. People over age 65 are at an elevated risk, and account for nearly 9000 emergency room visits for scalds every year. More than three-quarters occur in the home, and about two-thirds of victims are women. The most common cause for scald injuries is hot food or beverage (42%), followed by hot water or steam (30%). Coffee accounts for about 15% of all nonfatal scald injuries suffered by persons age 65 and over.

Unnecessary Injuries

Hot coffee injuries are completely unnecessary and are often due to negligence on the part of restaurant owners. To prevent the growth of bacteria, food must be maintained at a temperature of 140° Fahrenheit. At this temperature, it takes five seconds for a liquid to cause a burn that requires skin graft surgery. This is dangerous, and worthy of a warning.

However, many restaurants keep their coffee at higher temperatures, which significantly increases the risk of injury. At 160° F, serious injury is almost instantaneous. In the infamous hot coffee case, McDonald’s maintained its coffee at a completely unnecessary 180-190° F, which could result in instantaneous burns, even after allowing a reasonable time for cooling.

Spilled coffee on your laptop keyboard sucks but chances are good your laptop can still be saved if you act quickly. You should promptly turn off your device and remove the battery as well–time counts here. Cleaning as much of the moisture off as you can by pressing paper towels against the keyboard or any other cracks it found itself in. Most importantly, do not turn on your device for several days to allow time for all moisture within it to evaporate. Water only will damage circuitry in the presence of electricity. You could safely dunk a laptop into a pool that was powered off with no battery in it and use it again once it was fully dry, though I would not recommend testing this out yourself.

Phone fell into the pool. Similar to above, you want to recover the device and power it off immediately and remove the battery. Dry the phone off as thoroughly as possible with paper towels. Afterwards, place your device in a sock or wrap it in breathable fabric and place it into a container of rice. This will wick out remaining moisture. Leave the device in the rice for at least a day. Turning on your device while there is still moisture in it will cause permanent damage.

According to the National Safety Council, 697 workers died in 2016 from suffering a multi-level fall, and 48,060 workers obtained injuries serious enough to require days off work. Although transportation- related deaths are the most common cause of fatality in the US workplace, fall-related deaths take the second spot, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. In fact, fall injuries account for nearly $70 billion in worker’s compensation and medical bills each year in the United States.

The National Safety Council gathered some data in 2016 to determine which industries’ workers are at the highest risk of fall-related injuries. They found that construction and manufacturing sectors were responsible for the greatest number of injuries and deaths, with transportation and warehousing companies also claiming a large portion of injuries. However, workers across all industries are at risk of slips, trips, and falls. Read Scattering’s list of the top workplace safety hazards in the US.

It is important to keep in mind that a worker doesn’t have to fall from a great height for the accident to be serious. Falls can happen anywhere, anytime, in any workplace environment. Furthermore, falls are completely avoidable if the correct safety measures and practices are in place. This article will cover fall safety in the workplace, as well as how to reduce your workers’ risk of a fall-related workplace injury.

In the United States in 2014, 4,679 fatal work injuries were reported according to the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Fatal STFs account for 793 of the 4,679 fatalities or 16.9%.

Falls, slips, and trips increased 10 percent to 793 in 2014 from 724 in 2013. Falls to lower level were up 9 percent to 647 from 595 in 2013, and falls on the same level increased 17 percent.

Slips, trips, and falls (STFs) account for the majority of general industry accidents. They are responsible for 16.9% of all accidental deaths and come in second to motor vehicles as a cause of fatalities. About 65 percent of all work days or 95 million work days are lost due to slips, trips, and falls and they account for approximately 25 percent of all reported injury claims per year.

Generally, slips, trips and falls happen when there is a loss of traction between the shoe and the walking surface or from unintentional contact with an object which may lead to a fall. Except where domestic, mining, or agricultural work is performed the OSHA standards for walking/working surfaces apply to all permanent places of employment.