The reduction of slip and fall injuries: Part I—Guidelines for the practitioner*

Abstract

This chapter presents several guidelines for slip and fall injuries. Various solutions may be applied for reducing slip and fall injuries. Housekeeping walkthroughs are a traditional form of industrial safety practice against slip and fall injuries. Auditing the janitorial process of floor finishing is equally significant and should be introduced in work environments. The finish and polish industry have spent considerable time in developing sophisticated polishes, which, by and large, are known to reduce, rather than increase, the coefficient of friction on a wide range of rigid surfaces. In some cases, janitors use oil-treated mops to remove dust. Excessive use of such oils can result in softening of many floor surfaces with a concomitant increase in slipperiness. As part of the prevention of slips and falls, any task analysis carried out should involve consideration of slips and falls. Such analysis should concentrate on changes of illumination, including the changes of floor coloring, which might conceal a change in coefficients of friction among adjacent surfaces. Floor surface specification may be applied to determine the static coefficient of friction of floors.