![]() Common workplace trip hazards include uneven edges in flooring, steps, slopes, gutters and cracks, loose mats, open drawers, untidy tools, and/or electrical cords. Trip hazards are usually low to the ground and not easily recognised. Trip accidents are caused by uneven floor surfaces or obstructions in walkways. Human factors include parameters such as the walking behaviour, walking speed, weight, a person's physical fitness and attention, and also the ease with which slippery floors can be recognised as such. Typical examples are wet shoe soles, contamination by solids or liquids on the floor caused by production methods (spills), and condensation.Ĥ. Liquid and solid contaminants increase the risk of slipping considerably, since they reduce the contact between shoe and floor. Important footwear parameters include the type of sole material, its hardness, elasticity, roughness, tread, and level of wear.ģ. The footwear selected also has an influence upon the slip resistance. In addition to the type of floor (such as ceramic tiles, natural stone, parquet, elastic surfacing), parameters such as the roughness, the profiling, the degree of wear and the state in which the floor is maintained affect slip resistance.Ģ. A suitably selected and correctly installed floor may provide sufficient slip resistance irrespective of the footwear worn, and even when the floor surface is soiled or wet. These parameters can be classified into four broad categories: floor, shoe, contaminant and human factors.ġ. Several parameters influence frictional behaviour and thus slip resistance. Slip resistance depends on the friction between flooring and shoe: the higher the friction, the higher the slip resistance. Slip resistance can be defined as a 'measure of dynamic friction between two surfaces'. ![]() One of the main causes of slipping and tripping accidents is an inadequate slip resistance of flooring and footwea r. Source: figure compiled based on data from the Eurostat database - Accidents at work by sex, age, severity, NACE Rev. when workers are employed at workstations outdoors, such workstations must as far as possible be arranged so that workers cannot slip or fallįigure 1 – Causes of non-fatal accidents at work - % - (EU27-2019).the floors of rooms must have no dangerous bumps, holes or slopes and must be fixed, stable and not slippery.In addition, Directive 89/654 on workplace requirements stipulates that employers must ensure that workplaces meet the safety requirements of annex I of the Directive. īased on the Framework Directive employers must analyse workplace risk s and take measures for improving safety and health at work. 33% of the victims are older than 50 compared to only 19% for other types of accidents. The analysis also shows that older workers are more at risk of slipping or tripping accidents. Underlying causes include a lack of motivation and commitment, a lack of planning and procedures and inadequate equipment. ![]() The data don't make a distinction between falls on the same level and falls from height, but it must be assumed that most of the fatal accidents fall into the category fall from height.Īmong the non-fatal accidents, Slipping - Stumbling and falling - Fall of persons is the third most common cause after Loss of control (total or partial) of machine, means of transport or handling equipment, hand-held tool, object, animal and Body movement under or with physical stress (generally leading to an internal injury) (figure 1).Ī more detailed analysis of 1231 falls on the same level in the Netherlands found that almost 40% of these falls are due to a loss of grip between the shoe and the floor surface, almost 30% are due to tripping over obstacles and about 15% to uncontrolled movements. In the EU 584,371 accidents at work occurred in 2019 due to Slipping - Stumbling and falling - Fall of persons of which 520 accidents were fatal. Slips, trips and falls are a common cause of occupational accidents. ![]()
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