On this episode of the WorkSAFE Podcast, we are joined by Tim Wilson, Safety and Risk Services Regional Manager at MEM. He has more than 20 years of workplace safety and risk management experience.
Slips, trips, and falls are a persistent problem across industries. Despite extensive studies, detailed recommendations, and countless safety initiatives, these incidents continue to rank as the number one cause of workplace injuries. Why is this problem so persistent? What can employers do to make real progress?
Listen to this episode of the WorkSAFE Podcast, or read the show notes below.
Slips, trips, and falls: A leading cause of workplace injury
Every workplace has exposure risk to a slip, trip, or fall. Not all falls are the same. A same-level fall often follows a slip or trip. It may be the result of slipping on a wet cafeteria floor, tripping on an uneven construction-site surface, or watching a smartphone instead of the path ahead.
A fall from height occurs when someone falls from an elevated surface. Some employers think that working from heights is only an occupational hazard if the distance is very high. For example, trimming trees or replacing a roof. But falling from even a short distance, in the wrong way, on the wrong type of surface, can result in serious injury.
Symptoms of an unhealthy company culture
While the circumstances of a slip, trip, or fall can differ company to company, Wilson points to a culture of complacency as the cause most responsible. Uncontrolled safety hazards are symptoms of deeper problems, such as:
- Upper management failing to set safety expectations
- Middle management failing to train employees on safety processes or enforce them
- Frontline employees disregarding safety rules, ignoring their surroundings, or not considering the consequences of unsafe behavior
Tips for building a stronger safety culture
Physical hazards are easy to correct, but company culture is harder to change. “Unfortunately, there’s no switch that can be thrown that fixes your culture or corrects all of your behaviors,” Wilson pointed out. “Turns out that it’s a process, sometimes a slow process of continual improvement. And as one of those aspects, culture or behavior, improves or degrades, it tends to drag the other in the same direction.”
To strengthen safety culture in the workplace, employers need to set the right expectations. There are three key components Wilson recommends employers address when looking to eliminate workplace hazards of any kind:
- Set your expectations. How do you want to control safety hazards in the workplace? Whether it’s wearing slip-resistant footwear or cleaning up spills when spotted, create safety rules and policies that address the hazards unique to your business.
- Set up safety training. Teach employees how to use equipment, complete everyday tasks safely, and maintain situational awareness. New hires are at an increased risk of injury; take time to onboard them and check their understanding.
- Enforce your expectations. Everyone within the company needs to keep each other accountable – frontline workers and leaders alike. When safety guidelines aren’t followed, they are rendered ineffective. Enforce the rules you set.
“A failure in any one of those three points significantly erodes the effectiveness of the entire the entire effort,” Wilson shared.
3 ways to reduce slip, trip, and fall risk in the workplace
Employers can begin to strengthen their safety culture, and prevent slips, trips, and falls, one step at a time.
Focus on practical changes
New innovations growing in popularity include everything from floor treatments to artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled cameras that can identify and alert when a person falls. But Wilson reminds employers that addressing the basics takes priority.
“The basics are still the basics,” Wilson highlighted. “And when it comes to operations, facilities and equipment, I would encourage folks to entertain the new tech, but to focus on the basics, which are engineering out the hazards whenever possible: maintaining your walkways, ensuring adequate lighting, encouraging, really fostering situational awareness. That’s absolutely huge.”
Eliminate ladders where possible
A key way to reduce falls from heights is to eliminate ladders where possible. Wilson points out that nearly every workplace will have a task that requires a ladder. But he strongly encourages employers to find alternatives when possible.
In one of his very first cases as a new consultant, Wilson investigated a fatality involving a 24 year-old man. He’d fallen from a ladder – from just five feet up. Wilson encourages employers to take a firm stance on falls from heights: “Why do I say draw a line in the sand here? Because falls from heights, they change lives, they take lives, and they absolutely crush profitability.”
Lead by example
To foster real change, employers must lead by example. “When you’re out on the production floor, doesn’t matter if you’re the president, the CEO, you have your safety glasses on,” Wilson shared. “If you don’t have your safety glasses on and one of your team members says something to you, you thank them and you go get a pair of safety glasses and you put it on.”
Doing this reinforces a culture where everyone is willing to participate and is committed to the safety of themselves and their coworkers. “Leadership engagement and support are absolutely vital to effectively controlling any hazard,” Wilson said. “If you think about it, they set the expectations. Training is required by them and accountability enforcement is held by them.”
Understanding slips, trips, and falls in your workplace
Every workplace is unique. Some may struggle with same-level falls, while others are at an increased risk of falls from heights due to their industry. Recent claims and near misses can help you understand which one your business may struggle with more.
“If you’re struggling with those same level events, focus your efforts on housekeeping, preventative maintenance, and enhancing that situational awareness,” he said. “If you find yourself dealing with falls from heights, then you have to draw this line in the sand and commit yourself to developing those safe expectations, training on those expectations, enforcing those expectations.”
Sometimes, it can take months, or even years, to see the full benefit of making a commitment to change. For Wilson, one of the most important messages employers can share is that these safety efforts aren’t just about employees – it’s also about the ones that love. “There’s somebody out there that needs them, that relies on them, that loves them, and they need them to come home,” he share. “And they need them to come home with complete bodies and full capacity.”