|
Tool Box Talks |
|
Slips and Falls At least two wrongs appeared in
this situation: The stair and floor cleaning
should have been done after work hours, or in a three-shifts-a-day plant,
pedestrian traffic should have been detoured during the cleanup, which is the
action that was taken in the aforementioned plant. Another error was that the workers shouldn’t have been in the
habit of rushing to their coffee break.
In the instance cited, they were just lucky. Speaking in broad terms, there are
three ways you can suffer a fall on your job—and possibly suffer from the
fall. You can be caused to slip and
lose your balance; you can trip over a floor defect or something improperly
left or dropped in a walkway; or you can fall from a position in which you
are being supported above the floor or ground. To avoid slips and resulting
falls, be on the lookout for foreign substances on the floor. Watch for deposits of water, food, grease,
oil, sawdust, soap, or debris. Even
small quantities of these substances, sometimes almost too small to see, can
be dangerous. When you come into the plant from
outdoors in rainy or snowy weather, wipe your shoes thoroughly on a
doormat—not just to keep the floor clean but to prevent wetness of your shoes
from making you slip and, perhaps, fall.
Another point about walking safely:
Don’t turn too sharply when changing your direction. Now, let’s give our attention to
tripping hazards. Some that are all
too common are trash or unused material left in aisles or other areas
intended for pedestrian traffic, extension cords across paths of travel, tools
not put away, and holes or unevenness in the floor. It will help keep passageways
clean if you make sure trash or waste goes in the trash barrel. You should be close enough to the waste
receptacle, or it should be near enough to you, that you can’t miss it. Arranging this may require an appeal to
your safety committee. Walk where you’re supposed to
walk. Don’t take shortcuts;
especially don’t take shortcuts through machinery areas. Horseplay—just plain goofing
off—can be fraught with danger. It
can make someone inattentive to his path of travel, causing him to trip,
stumble, or fall. Hold onto the handrails when
walking on stairs or traveling on steeper-than-ordinary ramps. If material or equipment is stored on
stairways or ramps, move it or report it to me. To avoid those long falls that can
cripple for a lifetime or even prove fatal, you should make a special study
of ladder safety and proper use of scaffolding. We have pamphlets and other information devoted especially to
proper use of such equipment. When you need to climb, use a
ladder—the proper length ladder.
Don’t climb on machinery, stock, crates, or boxes. Be sure that the ladder is in good
condition. When using a straight ladder, keep
the distance from the ladder’s base to the wall at one-fourth the distance
from the base to its point of support.
Don’t reach too far from a ladder. Use a safety belt if both hands are
to be occupied. Never stand above the
third step from the top. When using scaffolds, check
carefully for defects and proper installation. When metal scaffolding is assembled, the maker’s instructions
should be accurately followed. The
standing and work surfaces should be kept level and clean. Toe boards help prevent tools from falling
and lessen the danger of slipping. If
possible, work with someone well versed in scaffolding safety. John Q.
Worker sat high on a rail; When down
through the air he started to sail. All the
state’s nurses and medical men Couldn’t
put Mr. Worker back together again. The rhyme is silly, but the
message is significant. As I said at
the start, there are many ways you can be hurt in a slip or fall. You need to be constantly alert in just
that many ways. |