National Safety Month: Slips, trips and falls are no joke

By Erik Harden, BWC Public Information Officer

Pratfalls in television and movies can be comedy gold. Chevy Chase practically built his career on them. But slips, trips and falls at home or at work are no joke.

Stats from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration show most general industry incidents involve slips, trips and falls, causing 15 percent of all accidental deaths. Here in Ohio, 1 out of every 6 workplace fatalities involve slips, trips, and falls.

Slips, trips and falls can be fatal outside of work too. In fact, they’re the fourth leading cause of deaths in the home.

Stats like the ones above are the reason preventing slips, trips and falls are a major focus of our current safety campaign. It’s also why we participated in last month’s National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls.

The good news is slips, trips and falls are almost always preventable if we all just pay a little more attention and take a few, simple precautions. For example:

• Keeping walking areas clear and dry.
• Using proper footwear for the job.
• Placing ladders on clean, dry, stable surfaces.
• Looking around before starting a task.

Finally, office environments aren’t immune from hazards, including slips, trips and falls. This article from the National Safety Council (NSC) has helpful information on recognizing and eliminating hidden dangers in the office.

For additional information, visit the NSC’s National Safety Month webpage.