Best practices for avoiding preventable injuries

The hazards of metalworking often are thought to be obvious: operation of heavy machinery, exposure to chemicals, poor ergonomics, noise, vibration, potential burns, and being struck by materials or swarf. But what about the stubborn risk of slips, trips, and falls? This risk is rarely top of mind, though the effects of a slip, trip, or fall can be lasting.

In British Columbia, nearly 10 per cent of short-term and long-term disability claims reported in machine shops between 2014 and 2018 were related to a fall from the same level or from an elevation.

It’s also a big problem for the manufacturing industry as a whole. Each year close to 1,000 workers in manufacturing suffer a fall-related injury, resulting in 49,000 lost workdays and more than $22 million in workers’ compensation payments.

While such incidents often are not perceived as significant, about 20 per cent of the manufacturing industry’s fall-related injuries were defined as serious, requiring an average of four months for recovery. In one case, a worker was unable to return to work for a year after slipping on a wet staircase and fracturing an ankle.

When shops take a consistent approach to health and safety, injuries of this kind are among the most preventable. Employers need to have a system in place to identify potential hazards and either eliminate them or mitigate them by following the hierarchy of controls.

How injuries happen

In machine shops, the most common slip, trip, and fall injuries were from descending stairs and icy outdoor conditions. Other injuries occurred while ascending stairs, slipping on oil, being struck by an object causing a loss of balance, and while exiting a piece of equipment.

Slips happen where there is not enough grip or traction between the footwear and the walking surface. This often results from having substances on the walking surface, such as water, ice, oil, grease, dust, and debris. These substances may come from work processes, spills, weather, leaks, and even mopping. Loose rugs or mats, floors with varying traction, and the wrong footwear can also cause slips.

Trips happen when people lose their balance after colliding with objects or missing a step on a curb or stairs. Tripping hazards include changes in elevation, curled carpets, misplaced rugs and mats, raised grates, other uneven flooring, cluttered walkways, unsecured cables, extension cords, poor lighting, unmarked steps, curbs, and obstructed views. Wearing the wrong size or type of footwear, or not picking up your feet completely when stepping, can also lead to trips and stumbles.

Hazards also are present in outdoor areas such as parking lots, yards, and exterior walkways where ice, snow, rain, raised curbs, and unmarked obstacles may contribute to workers falling.

Best practices

Employers should consider replacing flooring with slip-resistant materials and ensure they use slip-resistant cleaning products. If a work process results in a liquid accumulating on the floor and the liquid creates a hazard, floor drains or other suitable means must be used to control the hazard.

Metal shops have unique needs where safety is concerned. Every tool and piece of equipment must have a designated place to prevent clutter and minimize tripping hazards. Oil spills should be cleaned up immediately, and the source of the spill must be identified and fixed to prevent further spills.

In addition, an employer must routinely assess workspaces and eliminate or otherwise address hazards right away. That includes covering electrical cords or running them where they won’t cross pathways. Lighting must be sufficient enough to perform tasks safely, and damaged or uneven flooring must be fixed.

Walkways in a shop must be clearly defined and marked. This will simplify the controls needed to keep these areas clean and help cleaning staff to focus their efforts accordingly. Workers should walk (not run), avoid distractions such as using a cellphone while walking, and avoid taking shortcuts instead of designated pathways.

Handrails must always be used when ascending or descending stairs; if a worker is carrying something that blocks their view, they should find another means of transport. Three points of contact should be maintained when entering or exiting vehicles.

Workers must wear appropriate slip-resistant protective footwear at all times, ensuring the tread is in good condition and laces are tied correctly. Not all safety footwear is slip-resistant. Employers should contact their footwear supplier to identify the type of footwear that matches their workplace floor contaminants and conditions.

Sometimes a hazard may have been identified but can’t be fixed immediately. In these cases, employers should place signs and barriers to draw attention to the hazard so workers can anticipate it or avoid it altogether.

Investigating falls

As part of a robust health and safety program, employers must investigate all slip, trip, and fall incidents, regardless of severity – even close calls. Employers should consider the conditions that were present when the worker fell, including obstacles or substances on the floor, the work processes involved, the education and training of workers, and the actions and personal protective equipment (including footwear) of the worker who fell.

The goal is to identify the hazards, control the hazards, and empower workers to report opportunities for improvement.