This time of year brings weather conditions that expose you to more slips, trips, and falls, among the most common workplace accidents.

Most slip, trip, and fall incidents are preventable with general precautions and safety measures. Falls can cause severe injuries and even death.

Slip – A slip occurs when there is too little traction or friction between the shoe and the walking surface and can cause us to become off balance.

Trip – A trip occurs when a person contacts an object in their way or drops to a lower level unexpectedly, causing them to become off-balance.

Fall – A fall occurs when you are too far off balance. There are two types of falls:

• Same Level – A fall to the surface on which we are walking. Same level falls are more common and are usually caused by slips and trips.
• From an Elevation – Falls from an elevation are more severe and involve ladders, stairs, platforms, and loading docks.

Housekeeping is the first and the most fundamental level of preventing falls due to slips and trips. Without good housekeeping practices, any other preventive measures such as installation of sophisticated flooring, specialty footwear, or training techniques on walking will never be fully effective. Other items that will help in preventing Slips, Trips, and Falls:

• Don’t be in a hurry
• Don’t be distracted and focus on the task until completed
• Wear proper shoes for the work conditions
• Get better lighting where needed
• Balance the load that you are carrying

RS SafetyTV has some videos on this topic to help with your safety meetings.

For an easy safety meeting, SAFEME has a module on Slip Trips and Falls

Rick Means, Director of Safety and Education, is available to members to help draw up safety plans and suggest topics for safety meetings. Contact him at 360.943.9198 x118, or [email protected]