
There is a tendency in the workplace to think of OSHA rules and regulations as mostly pertaining to construction or industrial workplaces. In fact, according to OSHA “With the exception of agricultural, domestic, and mining work, all permanent places of employment are subject to the OSHA standards for walking and working surfaces.”
All workers, OSHA puts forward, are entitled to working conditions that do not pose a risk of serious harm. Further, according to OSHA, “Slip, trips, and falls constitute the majority of general accidents,” causing “…15% of all accidental deaths…second only to motor vehicles as a cause of fatalities.”
Highlighting the fact that managers in all places of work need to be cognizant of the need to identify and address hazards is an interesting statistic reported by the American Federation of Teacher’s Health and Safety Program.
As reported by the AFT, a recent OSHA funded study reports that,, “Janitors and cleaners; elementary school teachers; teacher assistants; and secondary school teachers have the highest incidents of reported STFs, (Slips, Trips, and Falls)” among all industry groups.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is the U.S. federal agency responsible for conducting research and making recommendations for the prevention of work-related injury and illness. NIOSH is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. According to NIOSH, “Slip, Trip and Fall hazards can occur in virtually every type of workplace.”
NIOSH lists “Tripping Hazards: Clutter, Loose Cords, etc.” as being among the ten most common workplace hazards explaining that, “Contaminants on the floor, walking surface irregularities, and tripping hazards such as clutter, cords or hoses, on walking surfaces lead to most STF injuries in the workplace.”
www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2013-100/pdfs/2013-100.pdf
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