|
 Through
experience, you will find that many of the most costly accidents are the little,
simple ones. The largest killer at home, and one of the most costly at
work, is the slip and fall.
Whether it's an heavy-equipment operator falling from the
machinery, the mechanic slipping on the oil spot in the shop or the truck driver
bailing out of the cab, these little accidents have a huge impact on a company's
bottom-line, insurance costs, productivity and company morale.
Why do these accidents go on unabated? There are
clearly many reasons for this, among them:
-
Haste. We humans have this strange sense of time.
We think we're saving time by jumping, leaping, running or taking some other
ridiculous shortcut. In reality we save only milliseconds, but our
perception is that we are being efficient and saving time.
-
Focus. Both companies and employees tend to look
out for the obvious, perceivable dangers. High-power lines, poisons, heavy
equipment traffic all tend to perk up our sense of danger and the resultant
safety awareness. Walking across the parking lot or getting out of a truck
is not a dangerous activity. Right?
-
Perception. All of us practice risk analysis on a
daily basis. If I do this, what are the consequences? Most of us have
fallen down and know the consequences. We perceive them as small. After all,
we have never fallen down and not gotten up.
We take walking, climbing and other everyday activities for
granted and don't really believe we can be injured doing these things. What can
you do to reduce slips and falls? Well, try these approaches:
-
Take them seriously. When slips and falls
occur, we generally determine the person is alright, and then leave it at
that. If someone fell and ended up in the hospital, we would launch a a
full-scale investigation and spend a lot of resources analyzing the accident
and taking preventive measures. Don't ignore accidents that don't
result in serious injuries or, heaven forbid, a fatality.
-
Inventory your slip and fall hazards. Many
workplace slip and fall hazards are known. We see them everyday, we walk
around them, we accept them, we ignore them. That is, until someone gets
hurt. Inventory your properties, equipment and practices. You'll be
surprised how many of these hazards you will identify. Each one you identify
may possibly prevent an injury.
-
Train your people. If you make slips and falls a
big deal, so will your folks. An ongoing training program regarding proper footwear,
dangers of slips and falls, climbing techniques and hazard identification will pay big dividends
for your company.
With winter bearing down on us, and all of its added slip and
fall conditions, now is the time to take slips and falls seriously. You
may save a life!
Return to Top of Page
|
