Prevent falls by eliminating slips and trips

Some of the most common retail injuries result after trips and falls. There are two basic types:

• Slip-type falls (slip-and-fall) incidents occur when there is insufficient friction or slip-resistance between a person’s foot and the floor, typically at the moment of heel strike. This results in a sliding motion, causing one’s center of gravity (that remains behind such a foot slip) to be unsupported, producing imbalance and a potential fall.  Water, ice, oils and even dry material such as; pea gravel, cat litter can influence these types of falls.
• Trip-type falls (trip-and-fall) incidents occur when a person encounters an unnoticed raised object or surface in one’s walking path. During the walking process, a trip-type-fall may occur when an object or other raised characteristic of the walking surface prevents or even momentarily delays the trailing leg from swinging forward to achieve a timely and accurate positioning of the foot on such walking surface in the direction of travel in order to support and balance the upper body at the critical moment of anticipated foot contact.

Sometimes these types of falls are affected by someone’s health and physical condition impairing a person’s vision, judgment, and balance caused by:

• Stress, illness
• Eyesight, visual perception
• Age
• Physical state, fatigue
• Medications, alcohol, drugs

Analyze your situation and ability by focusing on and watching what you are doing. Don’t be distracted to help avoid a potential fall. There is more information on this topic in the RS Safety Library or RS Safety TV under Slip Trips Falls.

WR employs Rick Means as a Safety Specialist who is available to members to help draw up safety plans and suggest topics for safety meetings. Contact him at 360-943-9198, Ext. 18  or [email protected]