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Occupational
Safety: |
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Nov.
5, 2003
COMBATING INDUSTRY'S COSTLY SLIPS
Falls in the workplace are the No. 1 preventable
loss type, and slips are the leading cause of falls.
Our experts explain why slips occur, why there are
so many and how they can be prevented.
by James L. Nash
In slapstick movies, as in real life, a slip and a
fall often makes us chuckle… at least when it's
happening to somebody else. But slips and falls in
the workplace are no laughing matter, not unless you
think spending $7 billion is funny.
That's the estimated annual direct cost to U.S.
businesses for slips and falls in the workplace,
according to research by Liberty Mutual, the
Boston-based insurance company that specializes in
workers' compensation insurance. The figure rises to
as high as $35 billion if you include indirect
costs, such as lost productivity and the time it
takes to investigate incidents… yet, there are a
number of ways to cut slip hazards, and many of
these methods are relatively inexpensive, especially
if you consider that the average cost of a worker's
fall is $12,470.
Why Do Slips Happen?
At the most basic level, a slip occurs because of
"inadequate slip resistance between the shoe and the
walking surface," according to consultant John
Cockrell, Ph.D., who has been working in this area
for 31 years…. slips are generally caused by the
interaction of any or all of three factors:
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Footwear
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Flooring, and
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Contaminants that may come between the floor and
the shoe.
Lee Batzel is the corporate safety manager for Great
Atlantic and Pacific Tea Co. (A&P), a supermarket
chain with approximately 750 stores… discovered the
company spends more than $8 million each year on
slips, trips and falls.
"Slips and falls are a big problem, one that
receives too little attention when you consider the
costs involved," said Wayne Maynard, product
director for ergonomics and tribology at the Liberty
Mutual Research Center. "We hear a lot about machine
guarding and ergonomics, but very little about slips
and falls. It's a huge area and one that needs to be
managed just like other safety and health hazards."
Steps To
Prevention
The consensus among slip experts is that successful
prevention programs address all the controllable
factors.
For Steven Di Pilla, director of product development
for Philadelphia-based ESIS Risk Control Services...
"We look at flooring more than footwear and
contaminants," he said.
Short of replacing the entire walking surface, there
are cost-effective options for increasing a floor's
slip resistance:
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Paint with abrasive material;
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Etch the surface with acids, such as
hydrofluoric acid; or
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Place slip-resistant
mats in the most dangerous areas.
The floor treatment
that is most appropriate for a particular work
environment will depend on the nature of the floor
and the hazards that are present… this means a
formal, written program that specifies the proper
cleaners for each contaminant, the use of barricades
and warnings, and the training of employees on the
proper procedures… far too many workplaces lack a
"floor cleaning protocol."… "You need to do more
than mop. That just spreads the problem around,"...
"You need to agitate and actually remove the
contaminant."
Regular, frequent inspections of high traffic areas,
and keeping a written log of each inspection, can be
a critical element in defending against a lawsuit, a
real danger should a non-employee slip in your
facility.
OSHA official who is familiar with general industry
enforcement… "I know that slips, trips and falls are
probably the biggest cause of accidents in this
country," the official said. "We're always looking
for anything that can cause a slip whenever we do an
inspection”.
Of more immediate interest to employers concerned
about slips is the new ANSI voluntary standard
(A1264.2)… it is designed to help any safety manager
develop a proactive slip resistance program… "I see
it every day. People don't address slip hazards
until somebody gets hurt…"
"My
recommendation is to be proactive."
An article summary from
http://www.occupationalhazards.com
, the premier online resource for safety,
health and industrial hygiene professionals where
you can get the latest news about OSHA, EPA, NIOSH,
ergonomics and other EHS developments.
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Health Canada: |
According to Health Canada:
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Unintentional injuries cost
Canadians about $8.7 billion per
year.
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Falls account for about 40 per cent
and motor vehicle crashes about 20
per cent of the total cost.
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The remaining 40 per cent can be
attributed to drowning, poisoning,
fires, and other injuries.
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On average, each injury in Canada
generates $4,000 in direct and
indirect costs.
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The Economic
Burden of Unintentional Injury in Canada
Canadians working in
injury prevention and control have long been
frustrated by the lack of detailed information on
the costs of injury in this country. To address this
important information gap, Health Canada and several
external partners supported a project to examine the
real costs of injury in Canada. The Hygeia Group
carried out this research.
THE COST OF
UNINTENTIONAL INJURIES
This study assesses
the following injury and death figures* to determine
overall annual costs.
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Injury Deaths |
7,721 |
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Hospitalized Injuries |
125,281 |
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Non-hospitalized Injuries |
2,048,220 |
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Total Injuries |
2,181,222 |
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Injuries Resulting in Partial Permanent
Disability |
43,892 |
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Injuries Resulting in Total Permanent
Disability |
3,300 |
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Total Annual Cost |
$8.7 Billion |
The
most costly injuries were falls, totaling almost
$2.4 billion or 57 per cent of total direct costs.
Please
Note: The United States statistics are virtually the
same, except the figures quoted here are at least 10
times greater in the U.S.
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A.D.A.
Guidlines: |
A.D.A.
Accessibility Guidelines (Appendix 4.5.1)
Pertaining to Ground and Floor Surfaces
People who have difficulty walking or maintaining
balance or who use crutches, canes, or walkers, and
those with restricted gaits are particularly
sensitive to slipping and tripping hazards. For such
people, a stable and regular surface is necessary
for safe walking, particularly on stairs.
Wheelchairs can be propelled most easily on surfaces
that are hard, stable, and regular. Soft loose
surfaces such as shag carpet, loose sand or gravel,
wet clay, and irregular surfaces such as
cobblestones can significantly impede wheelchair
movement.
Slip-resistance is based on the frictional force
necessary to keep a shoe heel or crutch tip from
slipping on a walking surface under conditions
likely to be found on the surface. While the dynamic
coefficient of friction during walking varies in a
complex and non-uniform way, the static coefficient
of friction, which can be measured in several ways,
provides a close approximation of the slip
resistance of a surface. Contrary to popular belief,
some slippage is necessary to walking, especially
for persons with restricted gaits; a truly
"non-slip" surface could not be negotiated.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration
recommends that walking surfaces have a static
coefficient of friction of 0.5. A research project
sponsored by the Architectural and Transportation
Barriers Compliance Board (Access Board) conducted
tests with persons with disabilities and concluded
that a higher 'coefficient of friction' was needed
by such persons. A static coefficient of friction of
0.6 is recommended for accessible routes and 0.8 for
ramps.
It is recognized that the coefficient of friction
varies considerably due to the presence of
contaminants, water, floor finishes, and other
factors not under the control of the designer or
builder and not subject to design and construction
guidelines and that compliance would be difficult to
measure on the building site. Nevertheless, many
common building materials suitable for flooring are
now labeled with information on the static
coefficient of friction. While it may not be
possible to compare one product directly with
another, or to guarantee a constant measure,
builders and designers are encouraged to specify
materials with appropriate values.
As more products include information on
slip-resistance, improved uniformity in measurement
and specification is likely. The Access Board's
advisory guidelines on Slip Resistant Surfaces
provides additional information on this subject.
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International
Sanitary Supply Association: |
CONFRONTING THE AGE-OLD PROBLEM
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, a century from
now the United States will look very different than
it does today. There will be twice as many people.
Today’s minorities will collectively be in the
majority. And the young will no longer outnumber the
old. Look closer at our aging population, and you
will find even more startling facts: Again, the
Bureau reports that today, nearly 35 million
Americans are over the age of 65, and this number
will swell to more than 77 million by the end of
this decade as baby boomers approach retirement. By
the year 2100, it is estimated that more than 131
million Americans will be over the age of 65 (see
Exhibit 1). In fact, one of the fastest growing age
groups is that of the centenarians. Today,
approximately 65,000 Americans are 100 years or
older, and by the year 2100, this number is expected
to jump to 5 million. With this explosive growth of
our nation’s elderly will come another explosion—an
increase in slip-and-fall accidents.
Statistically speaking, the older one gets, the more
likely s/he is to suffer a serious fall. According
to the National Safety Council, people age 80 or
older are more likely to die from an accidental fall
than any other type of accident. Further, it
estimates that 40 percent of all nursing home
admissions are due to accidental falls and that 40
percent of those in nursing home care will
experience a fall. According to the nursing home
industry, falls are the leading cause of medical
malpractice insurance costs.
So why are so many elderly people slipping and
falling? Part of the answer lies in the way we age
and the symptoms of aging. As we grow older, our
bodies change, and the way we perceive our
environment also changes. Often with age comes
reduced vision, poor balance, and medical conditions
that may require prescription medication. When these
physiological and social factors of aging are
combined with environmental conditions like slippery
floors caused by wetness, poor lighting conditions,
and improper use of cautionary signage, the end
result is frequently catastrophic.
When an elderly person slips and falls, the
resulting injury is significantly more serious than
that of a younger victim. Generally, if you are 16
and fall, you are quick to your feet; you may feel a
little sore and even take a day or two off from
school. But when you are 70 and slip and fall, you
usually don’t get up without assistance and are more
likely to suffer serious injury, the most common
being a broken hip.
Current trends in social security eligibility and
reduced cost-of-living increases have forced many
elderly Americans to re-enter the workforce. Due to
the shrinking job pool, many retailers and
quick-service restaurant chains are hiring seniors
in record numbers. Statistics show that hiring
seniors makes good business sense. Seniors prefer
part-time work with flexible schedules, are
punctual, exhibit strong work ethics, and generally
experience fewer on-the-job injuries than younger
workers. However, when an older worker is injured,
the cost can be 10 times that of a younger worker.
Whether seniors are employees or customers,
slip-and-fall accidents pose a serious problem for
business owners. And unless a strong prevention
strategy is employed, the problem threatens to
become a future crisis. Just how big a crisis? Many
insurance industry analysts predict that unless
current accident trends begin to level off, it could
grow into a US$100-billion-a-year problem.
The National Floor Safety Institute, in conjunction
with the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC),
conducted a study on slip-and-fall accidents. Using
hospital emergency room treatment data collected
through the National Electronic Injury Surveillance
System—a nationwide sample of 100 hospitals and
emergency rooms that provide injury data
electronically to CPSC—it was found that for each
year since 1996, more than 1 million people sought
emergency room treatment for an accidental fall.
Most of the victims were people over the age of 65.
Ask any large retailer about their slip-and-fall
problem, and they will tell you it is their leading
cause of customer accidents. The supermarket
industry is one of the hardest hit by slip-and-fall
claims, in part because of their large and
ever-increasing building sizes. In 1970, an average
supermarket building was 20,000 square feet. Today,
that average has jumped to 37,200 square feet, an 86
percent increase. With the current wave of
jumbo-sized supermarkets topping 100,000 square
feet, slip-and-fall accidents will increase
accordingly. The more steps people take, the greater
the likelihood that one of those steps will result
in a slip. And with more elderly people shopping
than ever before, slip-and-fall accidents will
continue to grow.
For one large discount retailer, slip-and-falls have
already reached crisis levels. With annual
slip-and-fall costs of nearly $50 million, his CEO
tracks each week’s number of slip-and-fall accidents
by posting them on his office wall, and he’s running
out of space. He is not the only retail executive
keeping an eye on slip-and-fall claims.
Today, managing safety costs has become a new profit
center. Yet not every business is eager to share
information when it comes to improving profits by
cutting losses. For example, I recently had a
conversation with a senior risk manager from a major
grocery store chain. He claimed that the money the
chain saved over a two-year period on reduced
slip-and-fall accidents was enough to build and
fully stock a new store. But he also related that
the chain does not like to discuss how it has
reduced its accident costs; reducing slip-and-fall
accident costs has given the chain a competitive
edge. And in a market where net profit margins range
between 1 percent and 3 percent, savings of this
size make a huge difference.
Government Intervention?
If voluntary prevention measures are not taken and
slips and falls continue their upward trend, there’s
a good chance the government will intervene by
mandating higher safety requirements to which
businesses must conform. In fact, there is a
grassroots effort by a New Jersey Youth and
Government program to do just that—pass legislation
mandating that public places use more slip-resistant
surfaces in an effort to protect pedestrians. If
such a bill is passed, the floodgates may open to
more pedestrian safety legislation.For businesses,
this translates into potentially higher compliance
and liability costs as well as penalty fees for
noncompliance.
While business owners, insurance companies, and
government officials all see slip-and-fall accidents
and their related costs as a growing problem, none
of them—to date—has moved toward a solution.
Instead, the insurance industry continues to pass
the expense down to their clients by way of
increased premiums. They, in turn, pass this cost
down to the consumer through price increases. And
through it all, our elderly continue to get hurt,
costing the government billions of dollars in
increased medicare, medicaid, and social security
benefits. These factors, combined with pressure from
the plaintiff’s bar, legal advocacy groups, and
labor unions will inevitably force a change in the
way slip-and-fall accidents are viewed in the
future.
Prevention Incentives
Prevention will soon overtake complacency. For the
business owner who is slow to buy into slip-and-fall
prevention, reduced profits will result.
But there is hope. Current technology has produced a
number of promising solutions. Recent developments
in high-traction floorcare products, slip-resistant
footwear, and improved training have all made
significant advances in prevention. More business
owners are changing the way they care for their
floors and monitoring results. No longer do
retailers simply want floors to look clean and
shiny. Today the bar for floorcare has been raised.
Safety is the new standard, and an increasing number
of retailers are expecting their floors to be safer
than in the past. To address this need,
manufacturers of flooring materials have created
entirely new lines of high-traction flooring
products. These “slip-retardant” floors have found
their way into numerous grocery store and many
retail chains in the past five years, not because
they are easier to maintain or have a better
appearance, but for the safety benefits they offer.
In fact, slip-retardant floors generally require
specific maintenance procedures, which differ from
those of conventional floor coverings. Many of these
floorcare products cost property owners more money.
But the increased cost of maintenance is offset by
savings in reduced accident claims because the cost
of slip-and-fall accidents has overtaken the cost of
floorcare chemicals. For every US$1 spent on
floorcare chemicals, businesses spend $3 on
slip-and-fall claims.
Commercial floorcare manufacturers are also focusing
their R&D budgets on developing safety-enhancing
floorcare chemicals. Each year since 1994, floor
safety cleaning agents and high-traction floor
finishes have seen double-digit sales growth, which
today is estimated to be a $50 million industry. The
consumer response to these products has been
overwhelming. One high-traction floor-finish
manufacturer that introduced its patented formula
six years ago has paved the way for others to
follow.
With clinical studies showing slip-and-fall accident
reductions up to 85 percent, floorcare has given way
to floor safety and the products that promote it.
Now more than ever, retailers, grocery store owners,
and building service contractors are focusing on
floor safety. By the end of this decade, I predict
that most existing commercial floorcare
manufacturers will begin offering floor safety
products. Regardless of your position in the
floorcare chain (manufacturer, distributor, flooring
contractor, or property owner), you will all benefit
by reducing slip-and-fall accidents.
With advancements in medical technology coupled with
better eating habits and exercise regimes, more
Americans than ever are living longer, more
productive lives. With this longevity comes
increased accidents—accidents that in many cases can
be prevented. If you are prepared and understand how
such trends in aging will affect your business, you
will not only survive the crisis, you may prosper
from it. Improved accident data collection along
with a strong prevention strategy will allow
business owners to better manage slip-and-fall
accidents. After all... you’ re not getting any
younger!
National Floor Safety Founder and Executive Director
Russ Kendzior is among those working with ISSA to
develop a voluntary floor care product labeling
system.
SEE ALSO: Related Authorities
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