OHS Management System: Risk Management |
||
> Introduction to Risk Management |
> Pets |
|
Slips, Trips and Falls
Introduction
What causes slips, trips and falls?
What are the risks?
Control the risks?
Monitor and evaluate
Templates & Resources
Slips, trips and falls accounted for around 14% of injuries in hospitals, nursing homes and related industries in 1992-3. Of these, 33% were caused by wet, oily or slippery surfaces.
Hospitals, Nursing Homes & Related Industries - Occupational Health & Safety Performance Overview, Australia, 1992-93 – http://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au
What causes slips, trips and falls?
Check your workplace for hazards:
- Are access ways kept clear?
- Is lighting adequate?
- Are floors damaged?
- Is the floor surface appropriate for the location and work? Is appropriate signage used?
- Are handrails in place?
- Are stairs uniform depth and width?
- Do stairs go around corners?
- Have step edges been marked?
- Are procedures in place for reporting and cleaning of spills?
- Are appropriate shoes being worn?
- Are ramps too steep or too smooth?
- What mats are used?
- Are floor coverings damaged, peeling or unsecured?
- Do work practices cause obstructed vision or upset balance?
- Are there periods when staff are forced to hurry tasks?
- Are there residents with incontinence issues?
- Are there procedures for decreasing water on floors in rainy weather?
- Are there procedures for working at heights?
|
Falls at home often lead to hospitalisation of older clients. Use a home safety checklist to identify hazards for both clients and field workers. |
Review incident records to identify slips, trips & falls for residents & staff. Are there any patterns emerging? |
- Review your hazards. How often are they likely to result in a slip, trip or fall?
- Talk to your staff. Have they had any near misses? How often and where did these near misses occur?
- Review incident/accident reports. Are some areas causing more injuries than others?
- If a slip, trip or fall was to happen, what are the likely injuries? Falling down a flight of stairs is likely to produce a more serious injury than a fall on the same level.
|
Check with previous field workers. Have they experienced any near misses? Can they offer advice on hazards in the client’s home? Have the client’s needs been assessed by an occupational therapist? |
Consult staff re slips, trips & falls hazards in your organisation. Consider floor treatments which may increase the slip resistance in areas such as bathrooms, laundries and kitchens. |
Control the risks
There are several ways you can control the risks:
- Eliminate the hazard
- Reduce the hazard
- Change equipment or materials
- Change work practices
Eliminate the hazard
Slips:
- Apply a non-slip surface to floors in wet areas such as kitchens and bathrooms, and to sloping surfaces such as ramps.
- Remove mats/rugs or use only those with non-slip backing.
- Apply non-slip edging to steps.
- Ensure appropriate drainage in bathrooms, kitchens and near cool-rooms and gently slope floors towards drainage points.
- Ensure ramps are not too steep i.e. a gradient of 1:12 (about 5 degrees to the horizontal) if wheelchairs are to use them.
Use absorbent flooring materials at building entrances.
Trips:
- Ensure floors are even. Fix cracks or holes immediately.
- Check carpets. Curling edges should be refixed to the floor immediately.
- Keep corridors clean and free of obstacles. Relocate filing cabinets and other furniture to appropriate areas.
- Keep corridors clear of electrical and telephone cords. If cords must travel along floors, fix these to skirting boards and run them under carpets if they must cross a passageway.
Falls:
- Apply non-slip surfaces to stairs.
- Apply non-slip marking to step edges.
- Ensure handrails are in place.
- Use ducts in the floor or ceiling to provide power and telephone outlets and avoid cables on the floor.
Reduce the hazard
- Improve lighting of corridors and stairways.
- Install floor level lighting, particularly for resident rooms, to allow staff visibility at night without disturbing the resident.
- Use prominent signs to warn of hazards such as sudden changes to floor level or uneven paving. Signs should include pictures to cater for non-English speaking people.
- Install convex mirrors at corners in corridors and stairways.
- Remove moss from outdoor paths.
Change equipment or materials
- Make sure equipment is completely stable or secured to the floor.
- Use appropriate cleaning equipment and products eg use dry mops on spills on hard surfaces.
- Prescribe appropriate footwear for staff. Staff may need to change their footwear to undertake different tasks.
- Install umbrella holders at entry points for rainy days.
- Consider rainy day matting for entry ways. The matting used must have a non-slip backing and should not create a trip hazard.
Ensure that field workers wear footwear fit for the job e.g. low heels, enclosed shoes. Allow field workers sufficient time to travel between clients. Rushing can increase the risk of injuries.
- Change cleaning times to ensure surfaces will be wet at low traffic times.
- Change where deliveries are left to ensure corridors are not obstructed.
- Schedule regular removal of rubbish. Schedule regular inspections of floors.
- Do not use talcum powder on slippery surfaces such as bathrooms.
- Establish systems for immediate clean up of spills.
- Consider using dry mopping instead of wet where possible.
- Use signs which include pictures to warn of wet surfaces.
- Store items at lower heights to discourage people from climbing on chairs to reach things.
- Always close doors on cupboards and cabinets.
- Communicate continence issues to staff at change of shift.
- Ensure trolleys are loaded so as not to obscure forward vision.
- Do not carry loads which obscure vision or reduce balance.
- Assign appropriate time frames for completing tasks to ensure staff are not forced to hurry.
- Sequence tasks to ensure minimum exposure to wet and slippery surfaces.
- Use appropriate cleaning chemicals for the surface.
- Use according to manufacturer’s directions.
- Block off routes when cleaning is in progress and provide alternative access routes.
- Polish floors appropriately. Excessive polishing can lead to slip hazards.
- Train staff in hazard spotting and spillage procedures.
Start each visit with a quick informal inspection. Have things been left on the floor? Are floors wet? Are there any new hazards which can quickly be eliminated?
Monitor and evaluate
Once your procedures are in place you must schedule regular reviews.
- Did the solution work?
- Did it create another hazard?
- Have incidents/accidents decreased or changed?
- The answers to these questions will determine what further action you need to take.
Templates & References
The Community Services Safety Pack
Health and Safety for Home and Community Workers: Guidelines for managing OHS
The Community Services Safety Pack - includes case studies and checklists
The Guide: Implementing Occupational Health and Safety in Residential Aged Care - Module 4 deals with slips, trips and falls.