These accidents also cause many injuries that lead to time spent away from work. Slips, trips and falls (STFs) can cause sprains, strains, fractures, cuts, bruises and even concussions, which often prevent workers from doing their jobs.

Today we’ll take a look specifically at slipping hazards and how they can be addressed using some of Supersafe Systems products.

SUPERSAFE SYSTEMS PRODUCTS

Supersafe System products, such as our Anti-Slip Peel and Stick Tape, Magic Mats, Stair Treads, Ladder Rungs, MPI Mats, increases the friction between a worker’s shoes and the ground’s surface, which helps prevent slipping. These kinds of products can be used in all sorts of workplaces ranging from manufacturing facilities and warehouses to hospitals and schools; even your home.

You might be surprised to learn that hospitals experience large numbers of STF injuries (at a rate “90% greater than the average rate for all other private industries combined,” according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health). Manufacturing also experiences many STFs, and 16 percent of all injuries related to STFs (on same-level) come from manufacturing workplaces.

If your workplace or home falls into either of these categories—or any other category where slipping hazards exist—Our products can help you. The following are locations where our products can be very beneficial.

1. Stairs

You’ve likely seen stairs with traction tape before, and for good reason. Should an employee slip on stairs, he or she could fall a significant distance, which could result in a serious injury. Adding our Non-Slip Stair Tread, which we are proud to state that we have a patent for this product, which is especially important if workers are wearing casual shoes without much traction on the bottoms. Our stair tread is ideal for all stairs that feature a smooth stepping surface, but is especially valuable for stairs within vertical exit enclosures, which are primarily used for evacuations, occurrences where even one misstep could cause an egress jam that puts lives in jeopardy. To prepare for low visibility evacuations, our stair treads have photo luminescent strip which is ideal to see when visibility is low.

2. Building Entrances

One of the most common ways water enters a building is on people’s shoes when it’s raining or wet. Adding our Magic Mat at entrances can prevent workers and visitors from slipping when their shoes are wet or when they step in a puddle from someone else’s shoes.

3. Ramps

Any location where elevation changes tends to experience many STFs. This is especially true when surfaces are slippery. Installing anti-slip tape or Magic Mat on ramps throughout the workplace will help workers safely navigate these areas.

4. Loading Docks

Like building entrances, loading docks are high-traffic areas where workers are often exposed to the elements. Trucks and shipments enter and leave the building in this area, and many workers load and unload these materials. Loading docks can quickly get slippery if the weather is wet, and most loading docks have ledges or ramps. Combined, these factors can make loading docks pretty hazardous. Adding strips of Magic Mat or MPI Mats in parts of the loading dock where workers frequently walk is a worthy investment.

5. Garages

Garages can quickly get wet, just like loading docks. Vehicles move in and out, and their tyres carry in water, dirt and other debris from the outdoors. Adding our products along pedestrian walkways (like those in parking garages) is important because unlike a loading dock, a garage may not always be easy to mop up quickly.

6. Kitchens/Food Service Areas

Kitchens and cafeterias are common locations where STFs occur because water and other liquids can easily get spilled on the floor. In some cases, kitchen floors have drains where moisture might accumulate or sinks and pipes that leak. Workers should make sure water leakage isn’t a problem in kitchens, but if there are areas where wet surfaces are an unavoidable problem, anti-slip tape, MPI Mats or PVC interlocking tiles can be installed.

7. Manufacturing Floors

Some industries are more prone to slippery floors than others. Some food processing facilities, for example, tend to have wet floors, while a facility that cuts wood might have a lot of sawdust on the floor. Our products could be helpful in either of these situations. Safety managers just need to assess where the problematic spots are in their facilities. They should also keep in mind that the material the floor is made from will play a role in whether employees could slip; a tile floor, for example, would be more slippery than a coarser concrete floor.

8. Ladder Rungs

Do you have an industrial facility that features ladders that lead to control rooms or special maintenance areas, or an office space with a metal ladder leading to a storage area or air handling equipment? If so, applying our non-slip ladder rungs to old ladder rungs is key to protecting employees and/or service people from unfortunate injuries, and your company from unfortunate lawsuits and/or workers comp claims.

9. Shower Areas

Non-slip material for shower areas is ideal for companies that feature large shower areas, such as health clubs and professional sports franchises, and companies that have small shower areas for the convenience of workers. While slip and falling in the shower doesn’t sound ominous, it often results in injuries that have a personal injury attorney at the victim’s bedside faster than you can say slip and fall. Our PVC interlocking mats will be perfect.

All our products carry a guarantee.

Our products have been SABS tested and so offer the client a legal advantage in the event of a claim.
We are the only anti slip company that can offer this advantage.

We are very proud of our quality and service record.

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.