How Slip Resistant Are Your Floors?

Simple Ways to Reduce Slip and Fall Risk

According to the National Floor Safety Institute (NFSI), slips and falls account for over 1 million hospital emergency room visits. They are the primary cause of lost days from work and those caused by slipping on slick floors account for 85% of worker’s compensation claims.

Wet or damp floors aren’t the only cause of slip-and-fall accidents in facilities. Many slip-and-fall causes can be eliminated by using proper cleaning techniques, the right chemicals, using proper matting and posting signage.

Some common causes of slip-and-fall accidents include using:

The wrong cleaning chemical or floor finish
Too much chemical on floors (not diluting properly)
Chemicals which leave a film or residue
The same floor mop in the kitchen, then using it in other areas, thus carrying grease residue throughout the building (we recommend using color-coded floor mops to prevent this).
Other cleaners which create an accidental over-spray onto the floor (such as the over-spray of stainless steel cleaner on elevators).

Because most slips and falls occur on wet surfaces, the best practice during inclement weather is to use the 3-mat system at entryways. This is comprised of an exterior “scraping” mat and two interior mats of adequate length to reduce the elements being tracked into a facility.

Also important is a protocol during bad weather to change the entry mats as needed when they get saturated with water, snow, and slush. You might want to keep a microfiber mop nearby to mop up excess water.

Additionally, be sure to post proper signage to alert visitors of the wet floor hazard. NFSI statistics indicate that 9 percent of slip-and-fall accidents are due to a lack of proper hazard identification.

Did you know we can perform a floor audit for you to ascertain your slip-and-fall risk ? Give us a call for our free floor audit and other slip-and-fall prevention advice.

Click here for free Floor Audit