by Atty. Michele Mirman
Slips and falls are one of the leading causes of injury in the workplace. They can happen anywhere, but they’re particularly common in kitchens and bathrooms.
If you own a business, it’s important to understand how to reduce these accidents. By effectively taking steps like checking for spills and slippery areas regularly and removing snow from your property during cold winter months.
Slips and Falls in the Workplace
Injuries caused by slips and falls are common in the workplace. It’s estimated that slips, trips and falls cause $200 billion in direct medical costs each year. Slips, trips and falls can also lead to severe injuries that are much more difficult to recover from than other types of accidents. If you or someone you know has been hurt by a slip and fall accident in the Bronx area, get the help of a slip and fall lawyer bronx.
Slips and falls often occur when workers are carrying out their duties on slippery or wet surfaces, and this can lead to serious injuries and even death. There are many ways that employers can reduce these accidents, but it is also important for them to understand how they can be prevented altogether.
Here are some tips on how you can prevent these type of accidents in you workplace:
1. Clear the path of obstacles,
Make sure surfaces are free of hazards like loose objects and slippery materials. Check floors regularly for broken glass or other hazards that could cause an accident, such as holes and cracks in the flooring that could allow water to seep through.
- Keep walkways clear of obstacles.
- Keep walkways free of clutter.
- Make sure the paths are well-lit, especially at night or in low-light conditions.
- Remove any trip hazards with a non-slip mat under your feet to reduce slips and falls accidents in the workplace.
2. Repair carpeting immediately,
Carpeting is a common cause of falls. It’s important to repair carpeting immediately if it is worn or torn. Use mats to cover areas of concern and keep the area clean and dry by regularly vacuuming or sweeping the floor.
Use area rugs to cover areas of concern.
These include:
- Areas that are not easily cleaned
- Areas where the floor is slippery or uneven (eg; a wet floor)
- Areas where there’s a lot of traffic
3. Keep floors dry and clean.
To prevent slips and falls, make sure to check for spills and slippery areas regularly.
Check during morning and evening hours, as well as at different times of the day throughout the year (e.g., spring, summer, fall). Make sure to check all surfaces, including floors and stairs; also look out for spills on walkways that could make someone trip over them. In addition to checking hard surfaces such as floors or stairs regularly in order to prevent slip-and-falls accidents involving employees walking around with their shoes on their feet at work centers where there are no warning signs posted about dangerous conditions like oil or grease dripping on the ground below them (which could cause an accident if they stepped into it), you should also be aware of any other areas within your facility where people might trip due to wetness or ice buildup from snow melting off cars parked nearby outside before they arrive at work each day so that you can address these issues before anything happens again!
Here are some points to remember:
- Keep floors dry and clean.
- Use a squeegee or mop to remove water from floors, carpets and other areas that are dampened by spills.
- Take care to remove all excess water from carpeting before it can cause mold or mildew growth on your floorboards.
- If you have any crawl spaces in your building, use fans with high ceilings that can suck the air out of those spaces as well as pull hot air out of them (and thus lower the temperature).
- In damp areas such as bathrooms or kitchens, use dehumidifiers to remove excess moisture from these areas so they remain comfortable without causing mold problems later down the road!
4. Remove snow and ice immediately during cold winter months.
Winter is a time of year when injuries and slips and falls can be especially dangerous. Because of the cold, many people are prone to slip on snow and ice, which can cause serious injuries if not taken care of immediately.
If you notice that there’s an accumulation of snow or ice on your floor, remove it as soon as possible before someone slips on it or trips over it while walking across your workplace. Remember, the longer you leave things like this outside, the less safe they become!
5. Post warning signs where necessary.
Warn about the dangers of slips and falls in multiple languages, if necessary. Post signs in areas where people may be distracted by other tasks and not observe them as they pass by, such as at entrances and exits to the building or store space.
6. Train work staff on slip and fall prevention.
Training is important.
Slip and fall accidents can be prevented, but only if you train your staff on the importance of safety and how to prevent falls. It’s also important that they are familiar with how to react if someone does fall, as well as how to respond if someone does fall. In addition, training should include reporting any incidents so that appropriate action can be taken immediately.
Workplace falls are one of the leading causes of injury in the workplace
Knowing how to reduce these accidents may help to prevent them from happening in your place of business.
Slip-and-fall accidents can cause serious damage to both workers and equipment, so it’s important that you take steps now before they happen! There are many ways you can prevent slip and fall accidents:
Conclusion
I hope these tips will help you to prevent workplace falls and injuries. You can use them as a starting point or adapt them to suit your needs, but they all share the common goal of reducing slips and falls within your facility.
Michele S. Mirman is the founding partner of Mirman, Markovits and Landau in addition to being an award-winning personal injury lawyer with over 43 years experience. She has won over $1 billion in awards and settlements for her numerous, long time clients. Michele is known as a tough negotiator and an excellent trial lawyer. She has served on judicial rating committees for different New York State organizations, earned Lifetime Achievement to America’s Top 100 Attorneys, is recognized as a high stakes litigator and enjoys an outstanding 10 ranking from Avvo.
