Slip, trip, and fall incidents are among the leading causes of workplace injuries across all industries and are largely preventable through good housekeeping, hazard recognition, and safe work practices. Maintaining safe walking and working areas is essential to preventing injuries and creating a safe campus environment. Best practices to prevent these types of injuries include, but not limited to, the following:
- Maintain good housekeeping by keeping floors, aisles, stairways, and exits clean, dry, and free of clutter.
- Clean up spills promptly or report them immediately if you cannot safely clean them yourself.
- Keep walkways free of boxes, equipment, cords, hoses, and other trip hazards.
- Close file cabinet and desk drawers when not in use.
- Store materials and equipment so they do not obstruct walkways or emergency exits.
- Use only approved step stools or ladders to access elevated areas. Never stand on chairs, desks, or other makeshift climbing devices.
- Protect cords and cables crossing walkways with approved cable covers or reroute them whenever possible.
- Wear footwear appropriate for your work environment and weather conditions.
- Use handrails when ascending or descending stairs.
Report slip, trip, and fall hazards, including damaged flooring, loose carpeting, uneven walking surfaces, inadequate lighting, spills, or other unsafe conditions to EHS and submit a work order to Physical Plant, if the concern involves building conditions or infrastructure issues. Report slip, trip, and fall incidents to EHS, if the incident resulted in a workplace injury(s) need to also be reported to HR.
