Slips Happen: Preventing Slip, Trip, and Fall Accidents

When it comes to managing accidents, the attitude towards slips, trips, and falls (ST&F) incidents are mistakenly often viewed as unavoidable events. Afterall, in Minnesota “we come from the land of the ice and snow” (quoting a famous Led Zeppelin lyric). However, by taking the attitude that ST&F events are inevitable you are missing a big opportunity to keep people safe and improve your workers’ compensation claim results.

From a loss severity standpoint, consider that on the average approximately one-third of the workers’ compensation gross-incurred claim dollars for city office and public works employees in Minnesota is from ST&F events. From a frequency standpoint, about 30% of all WC claims are ST&F events. Even if you’re a small city with very few claims, consider that a single ST&F WC event can many times exceed $25,000. Cities should also manage ST&F general liability events occurring on city property. Even though cities have statutory immunities that may limit a city’s financial exposure from public ST&F events, one of a city’s essential functions is public safety for those it serves.

Here are a few things that your city team should be doing to reduce injuries and loss from ST&Fs: 

‘An accident waiting to happen’

The first step in reducing ST&F events is to make sure your staff is reporting close calls or near-misses that did not actually result in a claim. Often there is a condition present or oversight in a process that created the ST&F event. The last thing you want to hear after a severe ST&F event is for another employee to say that they too had a close call in that location and that it was “an accident waiting to happen.” Make sure your safety committee encourages employees to report all incidents even if no injury occurs so you have an opportunity to evaluate the area.

High traffic areas

If you play the odds, then the next step in preventing ST&F events is to inspect high traffic areas starting with building entrances and access routes. People are funneled through this concentrated area and if there is an adverse condition at an entrance, then the odds of a city incurring a ST&F event are greatly increased. Check to see if the floor is level with slip resistant surfacing. If rugs are present, are they being monitored to make sure they remain flat throughout the day? Is the surface on the outside of the entrance level with a 1:48 gradual slope away from the building? If there are downspouts or scuppers shedding water from the roof, is it discharging the water in areas away from entrances and walkways?

Another area where frequent ST&F events occur is in parking lots. You should inspect the lots for potholes and proper drainage. Low spots in parking lots with standing water can freeze and be camouflaged after a light coating of fresh snow.

Safety training

Finally, incorporate ST&F topics in the safety training program. Set guidelines about what types of footwear are acceptable for employees in various departments, including office staff. Employees should be reminded on maintaining three points of contact both on ladders and when entering vehicles. Hand-holds and steps on vehicles should be inspected to make sure they are present and in good condition. Consider having your city participate in OSHA’s volunteer safety Stand-Down events held each spring. The Safety Stand-Down event is an opportunity for employers to talk directly to employees about safety with a focus on fall hazards and reinforcing the importance of fall prevention.

Preventing ST&F events is not always complicated, but it does require a concerted effort. Remember, ST&Fs don’t “just happen.”

Submitted by: Joe Gehrts, Senior Loss Control Consultant