When a worker’s foot contacts an object, or drops unexpectedly to a lower level, the worker may be thrown off balance too far to recover, resulting in a trip, followed by a fall. Although they’re played for comedy on TV and in the movies, these falls can result in disabling injuries and death.
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Identifying and addressing tripping hazards in the workplace can prevent one of the leading causes of lost-time injuries. Here’s some practical advice.
Tripping Hazards
Yesterday, we looked at slipping hazards. Today, let’s look at the most common causes of tripping hazards—and how you can keep from tripping up workers.
Obstructed view. Often, this happens when a worker is carrying objects or items—or wearing gear—that obstructs his view of the walking surface, and any tripping hazards lying in wait. It can also occur in low-visibility conditions, like heavy rain or smoke, or darkness.
Solve it: Create—and enforce—a written work rule forbidding workers to carry items that would obscure their view. If workers must wear equipment or gear that obstructs their view, or work in low-visibility conditions, make sure that the walking/working surface is, itself, free of tripping hazards—or postpone the work until visibility improves.
Poor lighting. Poor lighting can cause workers to miss irregularities in the working surface and can impair workers’ depth perception—increasing the chances that they will put a foot wrong.
Solve it: Make sure that walkways are well lit and that lighting fixtures are maintained clean in working order. Don’t neglect outdoor lighting.
Clutter. Stacked and stored materials or garbage in walkways, in doorways, and on stairs can trip employees.
Solve it: Make sure that walkways are clearly marked and that you have a clear, written policy in place forbidding stacked or stored materials from being left in walkways and on stairs.
Wrinkled carpeting or damaged flooring. Broken and loose floor tiles, carpet that is wrinkled in the middle, rugs that are rolled at the edges—all of these types of flooring damage can trip workers up.
Solve it: Have wrinkled carpeting restretched. Repair broken and loose floor tiles. Tack down or otherwise secure rugs.
Uncovered cables. Uncovered cables—especially if they are stretched across the walkway—are an obvious tripping hazard.
Solve it: Cable covers can create a less hazardous walking surface—although it still may obstruct the walkway somewhat, and amount to a “change in the walking surface” that could cause a tripping situation. If possible, remove cables or run them along walls so that workers will not trip.
Open drawers. An open file or desk drawer below knee-level is a tripping hazard.
Solve it. Instruct workers not to leave drawers at any level hanging open.
Uneven walking surfaces. This can be anything from door sills or stairs with uneven risers to elevators that aren’t properly leveled or potholed parking lots.
Solve it. Door sills and small step-ups can be clearly lit and painted to make them more easily visible. Stairs with uneven risers may be more difficult to deal with, since they occur frequently in historic buildings, where it may be difficult to get approval for renovations. In such cases, workers may need to be trained to go up and down stairs safely, and the general public may have to be forbidden to use the stairs—for example, to access upstairs levels of historic buildings that are otherwise open to tour. Elevators that don’t level properly should be adjusted, and potholed parking lots or similar issues with uneven outdoor walkways can be corrected with appropriate maintenance.