Slips, trips, and falls are some of the most common causes of accidents and injuries in the workplace.
While many can happen out of the blue, there are causes that you should be mindful of if you want to keep your workers, clients, and customers safe. Here are some of the most common slip, trip, and fall hazards you should be mindful of.
Wet and slippery floors
One of the biggest concerns is that of the wet or slippery floor. Sometimes, floors are just temporarily wet, due to being cleaned, rainfall, or other expected environmental moisture. The appropriate use of wet floor signs can make most people mindful of these concerns.
However, inappropriate floor surfaces can be a big problem too. Some floors are more apt to get slippery or to have poor traction than others and, in that case, you should consider removing them and replacing them with a material that offers a little more security.
Uneven floors
Even if the floor is of good and appropriate material, wear, tear, and damage can happen over time.
This is especially true of any floors that see heavy loads, be it the car park flooring or in a more industrial setting. For that reason, making sure that your floors are properly maintained and repaired when necessary can be crucial, and services like a concrete flatwork contractor can get it back to good shape in no time.
Your floors need maintenance just like every other asset in the business, just not as often.
Unmarked steps or ramps
Of course, some surfaces are uneven by design. Stairs, accessibility ramps, raised decking, and so on can be found in any kind of workplace.
However, if not enough attention is brought to them, this can be a major tripping hazard. Any steps that might not be noticed should use signage to denote them. Otherwise, you should consider using things like floor markings to bring attention to steps.
It’s also important to make sure that any area with potential tripping hazards uses the right lighting to make sure that they are as noticeable as possible.
Uncleanliness
Poor upkeep of the environment is going to be a major cause of slip, trip, and fall opportunities if it gets bad enough. For one, any spills on the floor can lead to slippery surfaces. However, even a dry mess can become a hazard as people can trip over it.
For that reason, it’s important to have a workplace cleaning policy. In offices and manufacturing areas, you should make sure that walkways are kept as clear as possible. Aside from making it a policy, you can use floor markings that make it specifically clear that no items should be left in a given area.
Whether you need the right policy, equipment, or premises investments, you should ensure that you do your part to keep everyone who visits your property safe from the risk of slips, trips, and falls. You can’t prevent every single accident, but you can do your part to make your workplace a little safer.
