A safety culture does not operate in a vacuum. Safety incidents can effect and derail business quality, reliability, competitiveness and more importantly profitability in the following ways:

1. Loss production caused due to incidents

o             Time away from the job by an injured person

o             Time away by first aider attending injured person

o             Time to deal with the issues in the Health and safety Committee

o             Possible downtime by production process

o             Possible damage to product, equipment and/or plant

2. Time and costs due to repair of plant and equipment

3. Increased insurance premiums

4. Legal costs

5. Medical expenses

6. Compensation costs to injured parties

In many instances, safety is seen as a “nice to have” and does not often enough reflect on the organisations audit report as a key line item. However, changing safety to a driver of profitability makes budgeting a key priority.

Below are a few keys points to consider for when developing your budget forecast:

Ensuring office and factory areas are zoned for safety i.e. enhance the safety of Communal areas, kitchens, bathrooms and showers

Slips and falls are not likely to be reported or recorded by management. A shower and change room is a high risk area for slips that can turn into a serious injury. Fat, oil spills, washing liquid and sanitising can cause potential harmful slip areas in your kitchen and canteen. Traffic Calming Bumps are a well-designed and easily installed to slow down office and factory traffic (trucks and hysters) to acceptable safety levels and prove your identification of hazards in the workplace.

Ensure safety is number one in the field

Ask the question, are you prepared and can you prove that safety systems are in place for unfortunate earth fault leakage? An Electric Voltage mat is specifically designed to improve safety for your workers and shows legal compliance for your Health and Safety program. Read more (Include hyperlink to Electric Voltage Mats) on the Supersafe Systems website on the process of receiving a certified document that guarantees 220000volts insulation protection for your workers in Substations and Motor Control Centers.

Consider Social Responsibility and Ergonomics

Improve productivity, product quality and profitability while reducing workplace-related injuries through the installation of Anti-Fatigue Mats. Although not considered a safety system, Anti-Fatigue Mats are designed to elicit comfort for workers who are standing on manufacturing lines. Improve your safety program by installing a change-over system with your organisations safety signage. Periodic change-overs create interest and keep safety precautions top of mind.

Purchasing power is only as strong as your accepted budget. Think ahead and avoid costly slips and falls.

A weight bares on the shoulders of businesses to ensure safety measures are put in place to avoid costly slips and falls in the workplace. The question is what about the change rooms and/or bathrooms?

Every year, thousands of people end up in hospital emergency rooms due to shower falls and other injuries suffered in the bathroom.

According to a 2011 report published by the Centre for Disease Control (CDC), the figure stands at around 235,000 people per year.

Although outdated, the CDC Mortality report estimated that the bathtub, shower, toilet and sink caused 234,094 nonfatal injuries in the U.S.

While people have long known that the bathroom can be a hazardous area for slips and falls, the CDC report was the first to quantify how many people suffer injuries in the bathroom and under what circumstances.

Ultimately, more research is required as to whether prevention mechanisms introduced have reduced the mortality rate for both young and old.

Contact us at Supersafe Systems to conduct a full audit and risk assessment of your change room / bathroom facilities. Don’t make domestic falls your downfall.

In the United States, United Kingdom, Europe and Australia, slips and trips are treated as a high risk. This high risk ranking is a priority for attention in factories and workplaces. The environment is “controlled” by placing anti-slip treads and mats in the areas of risk in order to remove any potential hazard, thus “fixing” what they can fix and ensuring control measures are put in place.

According to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Bureau of Labour Statistics (BLS):

• There are 2 types of falls – elevated falls and same-level falls
• 65% of fall-related injuries occur as a result of falls from same-level walking surfaces
• The services, wholesale, and retail trade industries together accounted for over 60% of injuries that resulted from same level falls
• The manufacturing sector alone accounted for 16% of injuries that resulted from same-level falls
• While same-level falls are more common, elevated falls are often the most serious and cause more severe injuries to a less number of people
• Over 60% of all elevated falls are from a height of less than 10 feet
• Over one million Americans suffer a slip, trip, and fall injury every year
• An estimated 20 – 30% of people who experience a slip and fall will suffer moderate to severe injuries such as bruises, hip fractures, or head injuries
• The most common fractures that occur from slip and fall accidents are fractures are of the spine, hip, forearm, leg, ankle, pelvis, upper arm, and hand
• Slip and fall accidents are the most common cause of traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and these account for 46% of fatal falls among older Americans
• Slips, trips and fall accidents can also cause other complications including: Death, Incapacitation, Broken bones and fractures, Long-term medical complications, Head trauma and Spinal cord injuries
• 1 in 6 of all lost-time work injuries result from slips, trips and falls
• Slips, trips and fall injuries make up almost 20 percent of all job related injuries
• It is estimated that these injuries result in an average of 11 days away from work
• Approximately 19, 565 people die in the U.S. annually due to injuries caused by unintentional falls;
• According to OSHA, slips, trips and falls cause 15% of all accidental deaths
• Slips, trips and fall injuries account for between 12% and 15% of all Workers’ Compensation expenses
• Slips, trip and fall injuries cost employers approximately $40,000 per incident

In conclusion, the South African workforce ACCEPT slips as normal. It is not! A paradigm shift needs to occur where slips are prevented, not “over looked”.

To avoid potentially costly “slip and falls” contact your Supersafe Systems representative to assist you in assessing your locations for workplace hazards and help build a culture of safety in your organization.

Good housekeeping is the first and the most important level for preventing falls due to slips and trips. Below are a few points to consider to keep your “house” in order.

• Surface composition
Types of slip resistant floors and stairs to consider include brushed concrete, sheet vinyl with abrasive material, and seamless epoxy or urethane with surface aggregate. Porous surfaces tend to be the most slip resistant.
• Foreign substance potential
Floor areas that are likely to be wet or spilled upon (foyers, restaurants, canteens, kitchens, food factories and process plants of all types), or contain other foreign substances (grease on a garage floor, for example) are potential danger areas for slips and falls.
• Surface Conditions
Loose or torn carpeting, all stair types that are not slip resistant, broken tiles, ramps and parking lot divots are examples of surfaces that create potential tripping hazards.
• Level changes
Ramps, sloping areas, ledges. Steps (three or fewer) and similar surface irregularities can pose a slip/trip hazard. Be aware of such conditions, especially when there is no ‘colour contrast’ to call attention to the change.
• Obstructions
Extension cords, furniture, planters, floor displays and parking lot bumpers are examples of obstructions. When located near a common pathway, they have historically contributed to a number of trips and falls, some with serious consequences. Move or eliminate obstructions or highlight or call attention to them with bright paint.
• Visibility
Lighting, glare, and lack of colour contrast are the most common examples of visibility concerns.
• Stairs
Stairs are defined as having more than three steps, up or down. The presence of hand rails (consider both side – and centre – handrails), and overall stairway condition, including height and depth of risers and treads, are factors to take into account when determining the degree of hazard.
• Human factors
Consider the age of customers and associates, as well as shoe types. For example, seniors often have sight and other impairments, and children may tend to run and “horse around”. Are there any hazards at a child’s eye level that an adult would normally see? Consider the type of footwear most commonly worn by people walking the area.
• Unusual features
Art work, signs, displays, brooks, bridges and similar “mood” setters are common examples of features that can cause a distraction. Of particular concern are signs and other items on easels.

In conclusion, being mindful of the risk of “Slips and Falls” and using the right preventative materials can avoid a Property Owner a potential law suit or workplace injury.