Health & Safety

How To Prevent Falls At Your Business Premises

It only takes a split second of not paying attention to trip over protruding objects, slip on a wet floor, or tumble down a flight of stairs. Consequently, it is no surprise that slips, trips, or falls are Britain’s second most popular workplace accidents, constituting about 19% of all work injuries. Falls can cause many injuries, including minor bruises, sprains, lacerations, and broken bones. Consequently, it is vital to know how to stop falls from occurring at your workplace to keep employees and clients safe. Below are some of the best ways to prevent falls at your business premises.

• Secure your stairways

There is reportedly a fall on a staircase in the UK every 90 seconds. Indeed, stairs are among the popular areas for workplace falls, so it is prudent to secure this area to reduce the risks of falls and injury. For starters, ensure your stairways have reliable handrails at the right height for adequate support. These handrails will prevent staff and customers from falling down the stairs when they lose their balance. You can get the right handrails for your company’s staircases using bespoke metal fabrication services, so keep this in mind. Also, install non-slip stair treads to increase traction on staircases and lower the risk of accidents.

• Remove obstacles

Health and safety experts agree that anything on the floor is a potential trip hazard that can cause office injuries. Therefore, any work materials, equipment, and daily clutter can become obstacles on floors, doorways, and stairways if you leave them there. As such, prioritise keeping your workstations, hallways, and service areas clean and clutter-free. In addition, close all drawers and doors when not in use and don’t string air hoses, cords, and cables across hallways or in any designated aisle. Also, don’t leave any boxes, briefcases, and files on walkways. The best way to keep your workplace safe every day is to put someone in charge of monitoring areas to ensure that they remain clutterless

• Maintain proper lighting

The risk of injuries from falls at work significantly increases when there is poor lighting. Consequently, proper lighting throughout the workspace is one of the most effective things you can do to prevent falls. It is advisable to light all hallways, stairs, walkways, ramps, basements, and other commonly accessed areas. Additionally, remind your workers to always first turn on the lights after entering dark rooms. Your employees can only abide by this if all light switches are accessible and easy to reach. Therefore, place light switches close to all doors. Finally, repair or replace all bulbs, cords, and light fixtures when necessary to keep the workplace illuminated at all times.

• Keep floors clean and dry

Walking on wet and slippery floors is dangerous, particularly on low-friction surfaces like linoleum and other common flooring options. Therefore, keep your floors clean and dry by cleaning up spills immediately. In addition, always alert people with a “wet floor” sign after spills and mopping occur. Also, use anti-skid adhesive tape to provide extra traction on slippery surfaces and reduce the risk of falls.