Texas workers lose hundreds of productive hours each year through accidental injuries. Many of these injuries can be prevented when employers and employees work together to make the workplace safer.
Since slip and fall accidents are one of the most common causes of workplace injuries, experienced Texas injury lawyers encourage workplaces large and small to look for ways to reduce the risk of a slip, trip, or fall. Here are three tips for reducing the risk of a slip and fall accident causing injury and decreasing productivity in your workplace:
- Keep walkways clean, clear and accessible. Make sure spills, tracked-in water or mud, and other hazards are cleaned up or fixed as soon as possible. Keep litter and clutter out of walkways to reduce the risk of tripping. If a hazard cannot be immediately fixed, use warning signs, cones, or caution tape to alert people of the risk and help them protect themselves.
- Install and check handrails, guardrails, and lights regularly. Handrails, guardrails, and good lighting all help people navigate safely with a lower risk of a slip, trip, or fall. Make sure all lights work and that the handrails and guardrails are sturdy.
- Encourage – or require – proper footwear. Employees who work outside or in areas where a slip is more likely should always wear non-slip footwear with appropriate treads. Even when regulations don’t require such footwear, businesses can help their employees stay safer by encouraging proper footwear in inclement weather. Make a space for employees to change their shoes once they enter the office, so they aren’t tempted to navigate a wet, muddy, or icy parking lot in unsafe shoes.
