Preventing falls, slips, and trips at work.
Preventing falls, slips, and trips isn’t so hard if you know what to look for.
The most important thing you can do is report any hazards you see in your facility.
To prevent slips, watch out for:
- Smooth, slippery floor surfaces or oil, grease, or wet spots
- Changes from a dry to a wet floor surface or icy spots
- Small objects or food on the floor
- Wearing the wrong kind of shoes
To prevent trips, watch out for:
- Scrap and other materials,
- Cords and cables or tools and equipment,
- Objects sticking out into walkways,
- Stairs or other floor level changes, loose flooring or carpets,
- Carrying items you can’t see over,
- Not paying attention to where you’re going, and finally
- Pants legs or skirts that are too long.
To prevent falls, watch out for:
- Using boxes, chairs, etc. to reach objects
- Jumping down from trucks, docks, etc.
- Tipping back in your chair
- Going up or down stairs too fast or without holding on to the railing
To reduce the chance of injury if you do start to slip or trip or fall:
- Tuck your chin to protect your head.
- After that, put your arms out with wrists and elbows bent to break the fall.
- Then, roll with the fall, keeping your body as relaxed as possible.
Forklift vs. Pedestrians: How can they share the workspace safely?
Whenever forklifts operate around other workers, they present a safety hazard. This is because accidents can easily occur if forklift operators or pedestrians fail to stay alert and to take proper precautions. Thus, to prevent accidents, everybody needs to…
- Firstly, Be Alert
- Know what people, vehicles, and activities are around you.
- Make sure others are aware of your presence and movements.
- Then, Follow Sensible Safety Practices
- Operate a forklift only if you’re specially trained and authorized.
- Make sure forklift loads are within the vehicle’s capacity.
- Don’t fool around on or around forklifts.
- Avoid taking or permitting rides on forklifts, including the forks.
- Don’t smoke in a forklift refueling or battery charging area.
- Lastly, Obey Traffic Rules
- Forklift operators should:
- Obey speed limits.
- Use horns or other signals to let people know where you are.
- Yield right of way to pedestrians.
- Likewise, pedestrians:
- Stay in pedestrian walkways whenever possible.
- Look both ways before crossing aisles.
- Obey traffic signs and heed forklift horns.
Want to learn more safety tips for the workplace? Find more articles here.