Preventing Slips and Falls


                       A SAFETY TALK FOR

                      DISCUSSION LEADERS



This safety talk is designed for discussion leaders to use in

preparing safety meetings.



Set a specific time and date for your safety meeting.  Publicize

your meeting so everyone involved will be sure to attend.



Review this safety talk before the meeting and become familiar with

its content. Make notes about the points made in this talk that

pertain to your workplace.  You should be able to present the

material in your own words and lead the discussion without reading

it.



Seating space is not absolutely necessary, but arrangements should

be made so that those attending can easily see and hear the

presentation.



Collect whatever materials and props you will need ahead of time. 

Try to use equipment in your workplace to demonstrate your points.





                      DURING THE MEETING



Give the safety talk in your own words.  Use the printed talk

merely as a guide.



The purpose of a safety meeting is to initiate discussion of safety

problems and provide solutions to those problems.  Encourage

employees to discuss hazards or potential hazards the encounter on

the job. Ask them to suggest ways to improve safety in their area.



Don't let the meeting turn into a gripe session about unrelated

topics.  As discussion leader, its your job to make sure the topic

is safety.  Discussing other topics wastes time and can ruin the

effectiveness of your safety meeting.



At the end of the meeting, ask employees to sign a sheet on the

back of this talk as a record that they attended the safety

meeting.  Keep this talk on file for your records.











Preventing Slips and Falls



NOTE TO DISCUSSION LEADER:

If you have the statistics for slips and falls for your particular

institution, you may want to discus them with employees during this

safety talk.



Let's examine the 1979 Division of Safety and Hygiene statistics to

see just what types of accidents occurred last year in Ohio's

hospitals and nursing homes. 



Looking at the hospital statistics, we can see that about 46

percent of the accidents that resulted in claims being filed with

The Industrial Commission of Ohio were slips or overexertion.

Approximately 19 percent of the accidents and injuries were

same-level falls--a same level fall is not falling off a ladder or

other height.



The number of same-level falls was even a little higher in nursing

homes. We must remember that these numbers tell us only about the

claims filed with The Industrial Commission of Ohio. Additional

accidents and injuries have undoubtedly taken place. Statistics for

past years were similar.



NOTE TO DISCUSSION LEADER:

At this time discuss the statistics of your institution, if

available.



Slips and overexertion are the leading causes of accidents and

injuries that result in compensation claims in Ohio's health care

facilities, with falls ranking next. That is why we need to spend

some time today discussing slips and falls and what can be done to

prevent them.  Perhaps the best way to prevent slips and falls is

-- you guessed it-- good housekeeping in every work area.



Rooms, work areas, hallways and especially steps should be kept

free of equipment and other objects that block traffic or present

tripping hazards. When not in use, tools and other equipment should

be kept in proper storage places.  Remember there's a place for

everything and everything has its place.



A spill should be cleaned up immediately to eliminate the danger.

In addition to good housekeeping, there are some other employee

practices that can help prevent slips and falls:



ù If you notice tripping hazards, such as bulges in carpeting,

loose floor boards or raised edges, report these to the supervisor

so repairs can be made.



ù Place electrical cords and/or telephone cables so that they do

not lie in heavily traveled areas. If they must lie in heavily

traveled areas, anchor them with electrical tape.





ù Housekeepers should mop only half of a hallway at once, leaving

the other half open for passage. They should take time to post "Wet

Floor" signs. You and others should respect the signs.



ù Walk through hallways and on stairways.



ù Use handrails when traveling on stairs.



ù Do not climb on storeroom shelving. If you must reach high

shelves, never substitute crates, boxes or other objects for

ladders.



ù Make sure stepladders are equipped with safety feet and are in

excellent condition.



ù Wear proper footwear on the job at all times.



The safety rules for preventing slips and falls really are just

"common sense" rules, which you have probably heard dozens of times

before. Nevertheless, a look at the statistics tells us that they

need to be repeated until we do our part to prevent those

disastrous slips and falls, which are costing people time and money 

and a lot of pain as well. Let's concentrate on safety today and

every day to prevent slips and falls!

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