StraitTalk - November 2019

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Slips, Trips, & Falls You might think someone slipping, tripping or falling at work is nothing to be concerned about but you would be wrong. Slips, trips and falls continue to pose a real threat to MAI employees. 70% of Lost-Time Injuries are a result of slips, trips and falls. To get an understanding of just how much slips, trips, and falls impact our work life, have a look at the numbers: Slip / Trip / Fall by Incident Type 20 First Aid Medical Aid 15 Lost Time 10 Impacts of Slips, Trips, and Falls Think about the pain caused by an injury, having to take time off work and the impact on you and your family. 5 Despite various mitigations used by safety managers such as non-slip mats, the number of slip, trip and fall incidents in the workplace continues to be one of the biggest safety threats. In fact, the issue remains one of the top problems for safety professionals. The most common contributors to these types of injuries are: 0 2019 (YTD) 2018 2017 Slip / Trip / Fall Lost Time by Year • housekeeping issues - lack of tidiness, when things are left out for people to trip on • wet or slippery surfaces • human factors such as fatigue, rushing and complacency 2017 2018 2019 (YTD) 2 4 6 8 8 STRAIT TALK // NOVEMBER 2019
the painful truth about The Impacts of Slips, Trips, and Falls Have you ever thought what the impact of a slip, trip or fall might have on you? Just imagine you are a parent of 2 children, working on board the vessel for 15 days. Imagine that you are counting down the days when you can get home to see the kids. Maybe you have a fun-filled 2 weeks off planned, including hiking the Starlite Trail, and going to a campground for a week. Say your gross earning is expected to be $4,700, and that you will be paid before leaving on the mini-vacation. Slipping into Distraction When it comes to fall prevention, complacency is usually the biggest mental factor that can cause people to get hurt. Physical slip hazards like spills wouldn’t be a problem if everyone was aware of their surroundings 100% of the time—we’d just see them and walk around them. We’ve probably all seen instances where people slip on a freshly polished floor despite the halfdozen wet floor signs that are all within arm’s reach. It’s because of a phenomenon called inattention blindness that literally makes us blind to familiar objects that they’re not looking for. Because wet floor signs are such common features of our daily lives, it becomes easy for people to tune them out and stop recognizing them for what they are— important warnings that a hazard is present. Practice good housekeeping and cleaning up wet floors. Following good housekeeping procedures will help reduce slips and trips. Keep floors mopped and debris swept up. • Remove obstacles and clutter from walkways and stairways. • Clean up spills immediately. • Secure mats, rugs and carpets that don’t lay flat. • Keep file cabinet or storage drawers closed. • Cover cables that cross walkways. • Keep working areas and paths well-lit. • Wear the correct footwear. Three days into the shift, you slip and fall on the deck outside, not realizing there was water there. Let’s say you fall against the rail, hitting your head, and then strike your shoulder. You are immediately taken to the hospital by your supervisor where you are diagnosed with a possible rotator cuff tear and concussion. You must put your arm up in a sling and are referred for an MRI and to a surgeon. You feel nauseated and have a headache that may last for weeks. What is the impact of this painful accident? You might not be able to return to work, and you might have to apply for Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB) benefits. Your gross earnings drop to $2800 and there may even be a delay in getting your payment while the claim is reviewed by WCB. Your trip with your kids may even have to be cancelled as you cannot do anything physical. A little extra attention could have prevented this accident. 9
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StraitTalk - November 2019

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