How to Prevent Workplace Slips, Trips and Falls
Slips, trips, and falls are one of the major reasons behind workplace injuries. It’s the reason why around 20% of workers in Australia get injured every year. Workplace injuries affect the growth of a business. If injury ratio is high at your workplace, your business will lose reputation in no time. Furthermore, it’ll lead to an increase in turnover rate, since employees will look for opportunities at offices where they don’t need to worry about their safety.
Let’s take a look at the major reasons why a majority of slip and trip cases occur:
- Wet surfaces
- Broken flooring or uneven walking surfaces
- Freshly polished floor
- Poor lighting
- Wrinkled carpets
- Uncovered electrical wires and cables
- Weather hazards such as rain and snow
It’s essential for a business to follow safety standards so as to provide a more secure environment to employees. During 2003-15, around 386 workers lost their lives to slip or trip. Furthermore, it also increases the risk of brain injury, bone fracture and dislocation of joints. So, if you want to make your commercial office secure for your workers, here are some ways you can achieve your target:
Keep Walking Surfaces Clean
Wet surfaces and cluttered space are threats for your employees. By keeping walking surfaces clean, you can significantly reduce the risk of workplace injuries. You can hire professional janitors for this purpose. There are many cleaning services that offer a deep clean procedure for workspaces, alongside other areas. In fact, house cleaning Austin services, and cleaning services elsewhere, are quite often companies that also offer deep cleaning for office spaces – so make sure to do wide research on the cleaning procedures on offer from different companies. They’ll take care of occasional spills and clutter and keep the workplace spick and span.
Install Proper Lighting
Your workers are more likely to fall and injure themselves in dim lighting. So, install proper lighting inside and outside the workplace to improve visibility. It’ll allow people to found their way with ease and stay safe from potential threats.
Use Warning Signs
If there are any problem areas in your office such as broken stairs or uneven ground, you should use warning signs to indicate the dangers. This way, people will be more careful when walking near such spaces.
Install Handrails
Many workplace accidents occur by falling down the stairs. In order to make stairs safe, you should mark the top and bottom of stairs with reflective tape. Furthermore, install strong handrails as an additional safety measure. It’ll allow your employees to go up and down the stairs without getting into an accident.
Cover Electrical Cords
Uncovered electrical cords are extremely dangerous and your employees may fall down if they get tangled. You should manage electrical cords to reduce the risk of injuries. The network of cables should be hidden under rugs or behind walls so that they don’t cause any trouble to your employees or visitors. Make sure if you are using cable covers, to get them from reputable and trusted suppliers that comply with AS/NZ standards like TripSafe.
Spread Awareness
You should take steps to spread awareness among employees. They should be more careful to avoid potential dangers. If they walk around in a hurry and try to take shortcuts, they may endanger their safety. Shoes also contribute to slip and trip accidents. Promote the use of appropriate footwear at the workplace for safety purpose.
