PREVENTING SLIPS, TRIPS & FALLS – WHAT YOU CAN DO

Reduce Liability Risk and Protect Staff and Customers Using Root Cause Analysis.

We’ve all fallen—it’s a universal human experience. Most of the time, falls are no big deal and result in only a chuckle or maybe a bruised ego. But sometimes, the result of a fall can be a devastating injury. That risk is of particular concern for workers, guests, and owners in the hospitality sector. Nationwide, more than three million restaurant workers and over one million guests are injured annually as a result of slips, trips, and falls. According to the National Floor Safety Institute (NFSI), the hospitality industry spends over $2 billion on such injuries each year and the rate of these injuries is increasing 10 percent annually. Of course, that does not include the billions lost due to legal liability, business interruption, reduced productivity, and increased insurance rates.

In Oregon, premises liability accidents are the number one cause of emergency room visits, and the average cost of such visits exceeds $28,000. But the costs can be much higher. In 2016, an Oregon jury awarded an 85 year-old-man $1.6 million after he slipped and fell in a supermarket.

Investigate

What can be done to protect your guests, employees, and yourself? When a fall occurs, thoroughly investigate and, if possible, correct the cause. To investigate accidents, safety professionals use root cause analysis, and you can too. Put simply, the goal of root cause analysis is to determine what happened, figure out why and find out how to prevent the incident from reoccurring. The first step is to gather information and carefully document what happened. With a fall, that means talking to witnesses, examining the scene, and taking photos as soon as possible after the accident. Next, brainstorm possible causal factors that could have contributed to the fall. A targeted root cause analysis divides these into three types: internal factors, external factors and operational (or systems) factors.

Internal factors are risks specific to an individual. Maybe the person has poor sensation in their feet or weak legs, maybe their vision is impaired, or they are under the influence intoxicants. External factors could include poor lighting, obstacles, a slippery floor, or a crumpled mat. Operational factors may include deferred maintenance, inadequate staff training or lack of staffing to address immediate maintenance needs such as a spill.

After looking at all contributing factors from these three areas and determining the most significant, prepare a list of possible preventive solutions to address them. Determine which solutions are worth implementing from a cost-benefit perspective and put those into action. When it comes to falls, internal factors may be the most difficult to address. However, recognizing and anticipating these risks is a great start. For example, training staff to carefully observe guests and offer appropriate seating or other accommodations. This might include alerting guests to steps or other potential obstacles or avoiding these altogether if their mobility is limited.

External and operational factors are much more readily addressed because they are often within our control. Examples of common external factors contributing to falls include slippery and poorly maintained flooring and steps, lack of handrails, and inadequate lighting. Ensuring walkways are cleared and well-lit are examples