Slips, Trips and Falls in the Workplace and How to Prevent Them

Slips, trips and falls are one of the most common workplace injuries, and they cause a considerable financial burden. Workers’ compensation and medical costs associated with occupational fall incidents have been estimated at $70 billion annually in the United Sates. Based on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 261,930 private industry and state and local government workers missed one or more days of work due to injuries from falls on the same level or to lower levels, and 798 workers died from such falls. While slip and fall accidents can happen in any industry, some industries are more prone to them than others, so they need to take extra care to keep their workplaces and properties safe. These industries include:

1. Transportation and Warehousing
2. Healthcare
3. Food service and accommodation
4. Retail
5. Construction
6. Industrial

Slips, trips and falls can happen because of wet surfaces, spills, uneven surfaces, loose flooring, obstructed views, and the list goes on. Not all injuries are easily preventable, but there are precautions that can be taken to reduce the risk of slip and fall accidents in the workplace, including:

• Clean up spills immediately, or if that’s not possible, place “wet floor” warning signs for workers.
• Keep walkways and hallways free of debris, clutter and obstacles.
• Keep filing cabinets and desk drawers shut when not in use.
• Cover cables or cords in walkways.
• Replace old light bulbs.
• Replace worn flooring.

Of course, not all slips, trips and falls happen in the actual workplace; some happen right outside on the property or in the parking lot. Making sure a business’ property is safe, especially during hazardous winter months, is where my company, Invictus, can help. As the leading snow management company in the Pacific Northwest, my team of Invictus professional snow fighters uses our arsenal of snow management equipment, including heavy duty loaders, plows, snow removal equipment and ATVs, to maintain shopping centers and commercial properties in a safe and efficient manner through winter’s worst storms to keep our clients, their employees and their customers, safe. We also use our proprietary products EcoBrine, EcoBrine Premium and EcoBrine Supreme, Vancouver’s only LEED compliant brine product, to keep our customers’ properties surfaces free from dangerous ice. There are many ways to get hurt in the workplace, but with extra care, slips, trips and falls don’t have to be one of the leading causes. To ensure that snow and ice isn’t the reason for any slip and fall accidents in their workplace, now is the time for building and property owners to get their snow and ice management contracts in place, because once that first snowfall arrives it will be way too late.

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