Preventing slips, trips & falls

Slip, trip, and fall accidents not only affect employees they can have an undesired impact on visitors as well. These injuries can cost businesses a lot of money, from causing employees to miss work, training a temporary employee if the injury is serious, or a law suit from a visitor who injured themselves at your business.

Slips and trips are commonly attributed to slick substances on the floor or walkway, uneven floor surfaces, loose carpeting, rugs or other floor coverings that are not properly secured. Here are some helpful reminders regarding the prevention of slip, trip, and fall accidents:

• Post notification signs warning of unsafe conditions. Notifying pedestrians of wet floors or hazardous walkway conditions may reduce accidents.

• Clean up spills from floors immediately when they occur.

• Walkways, parking lots, and sidewalks should be shoveled and salted in bad weather. Keep a log of when, where, and what type of clearing occurs.

• During routine housekeeping, report problems arising from loose carpet or other floor coverings that are not properly secured. Repair immediately.

• Emphasize the need for barricading particularly hazardous areas with caution tape to keep pedestrians away.

• Slip and fall accidents can be the result of someone walking in a low-light area. Staff should change light bulbs and other lighting when necessary.

• Promptly respond to reports of potentially hazardous areas.

• Keep logs after the slip and fall that state the date, time, person(s) involved, and activities performed.

• Train employees to perform routine maintenance of the building. This will allow the staff to notice and repair any necessary issues.

• Review your lease agreement(s) and understand your contractual responsibilities. Often customers are responsible for more than they think.

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