ABSTRACT
Studies of Work-Related Injury in Hospitals Attributed to Slips, Trips, and Falls .................................................................... 8-2 Distribution of Hospital STF Incidents by Occupation ...............8-2 Body Part and Nature of Injury.......................................................8-2 Age Group, Length of Employment, and Gender .........................8-3 Circumstances of STFs ..................................................................... 8-3 Friction Characteristics of Footwear and Flooring ......................8-4 Laboratory Testing of Shoe-Floor Slip Resistance • Flooring Testing and Classifi cation Evaluation of the Eff ectiveness of a Comprehensive STF Prevention Program for Hospital Employees ................................8-6 Identifying STF Hazards ..................................................................8-6 Review Past Injury Records and Conduct Investigations of Future STF Incidents Hazard Assessments ..........................................................................8-7 Strategies for Prevention .................................................................. 8-7 Written Housekeeping Programs • Keep Floors Clean and Dry • Prevent Pedestrian Access to Wet Floors • Slip-Resistant Shoes Minimize Tripping Hazards ............................................................8-9 Operating Rooms ..............................................................................8-9 Ice and Snow Removal ...................................................................8-10 Lighting ............................................................................................8-10 Stairs and Handrails ........................................................................8-11 Conclusion .......................................................................................8-11 References ........................................................................................ 8-11
Slip, trip, and fall (STF) incidents are a signifi cant source of workers’ compensation claims for staff in hospitals. In 2006, 13,750 STFs accounted for 23% of all work-related injuries in hospitals requiring at least 1 day away from work (Bureau of Labor Statistics [BLS], 2007a). BLS (2007b) also reported that the
incidence rate of lost-workday injuries from same-level STFs in hospitals was 35.2 per 10,000 full-time equivalent (FTE), which is almost 60% greater than the average for all other private industries combined (20.2 per 10,000 FTE). Although extensive work has been initiated to prevent patient falls in health care settings, there has been minimal research or systematic eff orts to develop evidence-based guidelines for preventing STFs for workers in health care settings.
