Depending on the industry, slip-and-fall injuries can be a very dangerous risk in North Carolina. Being aware of the risk factors and best safety practices can prevent injuries and save lives.
How severe is the problem?
The National Safety Council reports that the industry where the most slip-and-fall injuries occurred in 2014 was government, with 69,530 injuries, followed by education and health services at 51,150 injuries and then retail trade with 29,530 injuries. However, the most deadly slip and fall injuries happen in the construction, professional and business services and manufacturing industries, with 359 deaths, 94 deaths and 49 deaths respectively.
How to prevent slips and falls
As is apparent, thousands of people are getting hurt every year, and hundreds of people have died. Grainger cites a statistic stating that slip-and-fall accidents fall just behind motor vehicles as a leading cause of accidental deaths.
One way to prevent these incidents from happening is to reduce risk factors. Some of these include wet leaves, smooth metal surfaces, damaged ladder steps, clutter, sloped walking surfaces, uneven floor tiles, loose carpeting, dry floors covered in powder or dust and greasy or wet floors.
If more workplaces could make it a priority to reduce the above risk factors, there could be a reduction in the number of people who get hurt slipping and falling. Sloped and smooth surfaces can be improved with traction padding or tape.
Loose powder and wet spills should be cleaned up right away. Keeping a tidy and clutter-free work area can go a long way towards reducing the risk of slip-and-fall injuries.
