EH-92-1 Preventable Injuries: Indoor Slips and Falls
                        ENVIRONMENT, SAFETY & HEALTH
                                 BULLETIN

Assistant Secretary for                         U. S. Department of Energy
Environment, Safety & Health                    Washington, D.C.  20585

DOE/EH-0247                  Issue No. 92-1                      May 1992

                PREVENTABLE INJURIES:  INDOOR SLIPS AND FALLS

During the past ten years, workers at Department of Energy (DOE)
facilities have experienced over 2,500 reportable injuries resulting
from slips and falls.  The majority of these injuries occurred outdoors
and were related to weather (i.e., snow, ice, and rain).  Corrective
actions designed to prevent recurrence of such outdoor slips and falls,
while possible, are difficult to implement, and the tendency is to
counsel those injured to "be more careful."  However, one subset of
injuries, stemming from oil- or water-related slips and falls, may be
manageable.

Summary of DOE Water/Oil Events

Approximately 400 of the slips or falls reported on the Safety
Performance Measurement System (SPMS) occurred indoors as a result of
water or oil on floors and other surfaces.  The consequences of
unexpectedly encountering water or oil indoors range from contusions,
sprains, and strains through lacerations, dislocations, and fractures,
with many of the falls resulting in multiple injuries.  Of the
approximately 400 incidents reviewed, over two-thirds resulted in
injuries severe enough to require lost or restricted work days.  More
than 5,600 lost workdays (LWDs) resulted from the incidents reviewed.
(See Figures 1 and 2.)

Slick Indoor Surfaces are Everyone's Problem

Nearly everyone recognizes, and accepts, that outdoor surfaces may, on
occasion, be slick; but once indoors, the average worker does not expect
to encounter this type of hazard.  Unfortunately, water or oil on indoor
surfaces is not uncommon; and the presence of these substances is not
limited to specific locations within the work place.  In addition,
injuries caused by these hazards are not limited to specific
occupations.  While janitors, food service workers, and workers who use
lubricating or cutting oils in their jobs are exposed to a greater
number of slick surfaces than are most other DOE workers, the majority
of indoor reportable slips and falls are not directly job related.

Reducing the Risks

A reduction in the number of injuries involving slick indoor surfaces
can be accomplished by identifying and eliminating certain hazards.
Hazard identification, prior to an accident, is not an easy task. It is
difficult to determine all the ways that substances, such as water and
oil, can become hazards or to identify all of the contributing factors
that may lead to injuries when workers encounter them.  When these
injuries become "statistics in a data base," however, specific problem
areas can be identified; and steps can be taken to reduce the likelihood
of similar occurrences in the future.

The most obvious way to limit the presence of water or oil on floors and
working surfaces is to improve housekeeping; but, based on actual case
histories, a number of other actions are also required if the number of
slip/fall injuries from these hazards is to be reduced.  In addition to
housekeeping, more emphasis must be placed on training (e.g., hazard
awareness and response), repair and maintenance activities, procedural
compliance, design modifications, and the use of personal protective
equipment and attire.  Also, after every accident or near miss, the
timely implementation of corrective actions that address both the root
cause and the contributing cause or causes is essential.

Events Involving Water

Approximately three-fourths of the indoor slip/fall events reported on
SPMS involved water.  Water may enter the work place inadvertently, as a
result of plugged drains, leaky roofs, faulty plumbing fixtures or
piping, condensation, and employee carelessness (e.g., spills), or it
may be tracked in from the outdoors.  In addition, water on floors is the
natural result of certain janitorial, food service, and maintenance
activities.

The occupations of the workers at risk vary.  Workers whose jobs include
working around water-slick floors experience many slips and falls;
however, because of their training, experience, and protective
equipment, workers in these occupations experience fewer such incidents
than would be expected.  By far the largest number of injuries resulting
from wet floors involve personnel who work in office environments and do
not anticipate slick conditions.  Factors contributing to these injuries
include failure to take proper precautions (e.g., not using shower
shoes) even after recognizing the hazard or being warned of it (e.g.,
not heeding warning signs).  The specific occupations in which the most
dollar losses occurred as a result of water on surfaces can be seen in
Figure 3.

Problem areas involving water include wet entranceway carpets,
tiled/linoleum floors, liquid soaps on rest room floors, painted/waxed
floors, metal door sills and steps, plastic carpet protectors, and
darkroom floors.

Events Involving Oil

Workers who are most often injured due to oily conditions are typically
those who work in or frequent machine shops, vehicle repair facilities,
areas containing rotating equipment (e.g. pumps, generators, motors,
etc.), oil storage facilities, or parking garages.  Specific occupations
in which the most losses occurred as a result of oily surfaces can be
seen in Figure 4.

Oil may become a hazard as a result of splatters from equipment, such as
mills, lathes, saws, pipe threaders, and drill presses; leaks or
ruptures of hydraulic systems or from capacitors and transformers; or
spills onto walking surfaces, such as the boards used for scaffolding or
temporary walkways.  Failing to adequately clean oil from tools, ladders,
and other surfaces upon completion of tasks may also result in a hazard.
Failing to clean up oil adequately after completing a job may lead to
more than worker falls: oil on pickup beds, van floors, or forklift

tines may also cause loads to slip or fall.  Also, oily parts and hand
tools that inadvertently slip from a worker's grip can cause a variety
of injuries, such as fractured toes, lacerations, broken teeth, and
sprains or strains.

Factors Contributing to Slip/Fall Injuries

Certain factors contribute to slip/fall injuries regardless of whether
water or oil is involved, as can be seen in the following examples.

o  Poor lighting conditions hamper the detection of hazard (e.g., in
   parking garages).

o  Painted tile, linoleum, or other "shiny" floor surfaces represent an
   increased hazard due to the slickness of their surface and the added
   difficulty of seeing spills on such surfaces.

o  Ladders slip easily on wet or oily surfaces, and, if a worker's shoes
   or the ladder's rungs are wet or oily, the worker may slip or fall.

o  Inappropriate footwear (e.g., plastic shoe covers, high heels, leather
   soles, or failure to wear required rubber boots or shower shoes) or the
   use of crutches on slick surfaces, may result in a worker slipping or
   falling.

o  Inadequate work packages/task preparation that fail to consider the
   effect of a task on worker safety (e.g., failing to consider the
   consequences of opening up fluid systems) may inadvertently create a
   slipping/falling hazard.

o  Carrying heavy items on potentially slick surfaces can increase the
   possibility of falls because vision may be hampered and the normal
   balance/weight distribution may be altered.

o  Failure to implement corrective actions for known problems (e.g.,
   leaking roofs or a leaky vacuum pump) in a timely manner may result
   in preventable injuries.

o  Inattention to surroundings and failure to use handrails often
   contribute to incidents resulting from slick surfaces.

Recommendations

Housekeeping, as required by Title 29 of the Code of Federal
Regulations (CFR) 1910.22(a)(2) of the Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA) Standards, is an essential element in
minimizing the hazards of wet or oily floors.  Part 1910.22(a)(2)
states in part:  "The floor of every workroom shall be maintained in a
clean and, so far as possible, a dry condition."  Certainly the timely
removal of spills or other sources of water or oil on walking-working
surfaces will reduce the potential for slips and falls; however, the
physical act of maintaining such surfaces in a clean condition (using
water, soaps, and waxes) increases these risks for both the
"cleaners" and those who traverse the surfaces being cleaned.  The
following recommendations provide guidance for minimizing the number
of injuries related to slips and falls at DOE facilities.


Housekeeping Recommendations

o  Training and requirements should be implemented regarding the
   notification and cleanup of all spills or other unexpected sources
   of water or oil as soon as they occur or are found.  This is
   critical in high traffic areas, such as entryways, cafeterias, and
   rest rooms.

o  The entranceways of all buildings should have adequate means of
   minimizing the tracking of snow, rain, or mud into the building.

o  Warning signs/barriers (preferably with flashing lights) should be used
   in all areas where floors are known to be, or have a high potential
   to be, wet or oily (e.g., at entranceways during bad weather; in halls,
   corridors, or rooms where floors are being cleaned or waxed; at
   cafeteria entrances; and at all spill locations).

o  Janitorial activities involving floors should be scheduled, as much as
   possible, during off-hours or on weekends.

Additional Recommendations

o  Work planning procedures should be reviewed to ensure that they include
   provisions for ensuring the cleanliness of tools, equipment, and the
   area (both prior to and upon completion of the task) and for handling
   inadvertent fluid spills.

o  Proposed design changes and maintenance activities should be reviewed,
   and their priorities for implementation should be raised, if safety
   is being compromised.

o  Adequate lighting should be provided in those areas where floors or
   other work surfaces are frequently wet or oily (e.g., parking garages).

o  Areas housing wet processes (e.g., milling, cutting, decontaminating,
   laundering, and photo processing) should be inspected for adequate
   drainage to ensure that workers have dry places to stand and dry
   ingress/egress.

o  Janitors, food service employees, and others working in slick
   environments should be provided with and required to wear, footwear
   designed to minimize the likelihood of slipping.

o  The physical capabilities of all workers should be considered prior to
   making job assignments.

o  General employee hazards training should address specific hazards
   associated with the following activities:
     o working in areas where carpets are wet
     o using crutches on wet floors
     o carrying or lifting heavy/bulky objects on wet/oily floors
     o using ladders on slick floors, while wearing slick shoes or when
       rungs are slick
     o detecting slick spots on dark-colored floors
     o wearing proper footwear
     o failing to use handrails


This Bulletin is one in a series of publications issued by EH to share
occupational safety information throughout the DOE complex.  To be added
to the Distribution List or to obtain copies of the publication, call
(615)576-3482. For additional information regarding the publications,
call Eleanor Crampton, Safety Performance Indicator Division, Office of
Environment, Safety and Health, U.S. Department of Energy, Washington,
DC 20585, (301)903-3732.

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