Page 45 - Occupational Health & Safety, November 2017

ing slips, trips, and falls, but there is even more that can be learned. Industrial facil- ity administrators should educate them- selves as much as they can about slip-and- fall accidents. The more you know, the better prepared you will be to help prevent them and the injuries that often accom- pany them.
Vicky Adams is Senior Category Manager for Safety, Gloves, and Foodservice products for Impact Products, a leading manufacturer of safety Supplies and Accessories. She can be reached through her company website at
www.impact-products.com.
REFERENCES
1. Daily floor care includes activities such as general cleaning of the floor with a mop or an automatic scrubber. Interim cleaning is gener- ally performed every two to three months to deep scrub the floor. Restorative care involves stripping off any finish or sealant from the
floor, cleaning the floor, and then refinishing and sealing it; depending on foot traffic and how the floor is used, restorative care could be performed as frequently as every few months or as infrequently as every couple of years.
2. Source: Clayne R. Jensen, Applied Kinesiology and Biomechanics (1983), and other sources.
day shoes, even sneakers, this is not proper work footwear. Instead, workers should be wearing such safety shoes as the following:
■ Treads: Treads cover most types of shoes up to the ankle; some are 100 percent waterproof, made of natural rubber, and are designed to be skid resistant.
■ Safety slippers: Similar to treads but lighter and water resistant (not necessarily waterproof), safety slippers are often made of polyethylene and provide anti-slip pro- tection; be sure to select slippers that have a “heavy” machine stitch because they will last longer.
■ Boots: If workers must walk on floors where water, oil, or grease is often on the floor, wearing PVC (vinyl) boots should be considered; the boot should be at least 16 inches above the sock to protect the foot and leg from splatter and should comply with ASTM performance requirements.
As to proper signage, we could just leave a safety or warning sign up wherever there is a potential slip, trip, and fall hazard. However, the problem with this is that, if a safety sign is always in place, it soon loses its meaning and may be ignored. Because of this, administrators must stay on top of floor conditions and install safety signs only when a potential hazard exists.
Additionally, remember that not all safety signs are the same. For instance, a sign indicating serious “danger” is in red and should be placed wherever seri- ous injury can happen if the walker is not careful. A “warning” sign is in orange and should be placed when a hazardous situa- tion might exist. A “caution” sign in yellow is more of a notice and should be placed in situations where care must be taken.
The Takeaway
We’ve covered a lot of issues here regard-
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