StraitTalk - 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.
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