2nd Edition

Slip, Trip, and Fall Prevention A Practical Handbook, Second Edition

By Steven Di Pilla Copyright 2010
    474 Pages 140 B/W Illustrations
    by CRC Press

    More than one million people suffer from a slip, trip, or fall each year and 17,700 died as a result of falls in 2005. They are the number one preventable cause of loss in the workplace and the leading cause of injury in public places. Completely revised, Slip, Trip, and Fall Prevention: A Practical Handbook, Second Edition demonstrates how, with proper design and maintenance, many of these events can be prevented.

    This well-illustrated and carefully researched volume covers standards and best practices for facility design, effective management control programs, test methods and standards relating to pedestrian safety, and slip resistance methods in the U.S. and abroad. It includes checklists, handouts, case studies, rich online resources, and an extensive bibliography.

    See what’s new in the Second Edition:

    • Enhanced photographs and tables, profiles of online resources, updated examples, case studies, and sidebars
    • A new chapter on the unique hazards and controls to protect staff and patrons in food service
    • A new chapter on known parameters and causes of patient falls, assessment methods, and methods for reduction of staff falls
    • Discussion of flooring and floor maintenance, cleaning products and methods, outsourcing, and maintenance
    • Coverage of management controls, a holistic approach to integrating slip/fall prevention controls into existing functions, hazard mapping, and electronic inspection systems
    • Physical aspects of rubber walkways surfaces, expanded floor mats, new stairway statistics, visibility, and design
    • Roughness measurements, perception of slipperiness, overseas standards, profiles of high risk industries, and accident investigation

    Contrary to popular belief, most slips and falls are not due to carelessness. This handbook examines the many options available in the design and maintenance of facilities that can reduce or eliminate the potential for slips and falls.

    Physical Evaluation

    Introduction

    Expectation

    Distractions

    Level Walkway Surfaces

    Level Walkway Surfaces and Water

    Parking Areas

    Changes in Levels

    Stairs

    Handrails

    Guards (or Guardrails)

    Ramps

    Floor Mats/Entrances and Exits

    Bathrooms

    Elevators

    Escalators

    Carpet

    Accessibility

    Signage

    Reference Standards

    Exhibits

    Slip and Fall Self-Assessment Checklist

    State Mandated Building Codes

    Management Controls

    Introduction

    Engineering Precept

    Integrate Controls

    Behavioral Safety and Pedestrian Traffic Flow

    Building Inspection and Maintenance Programs

    Slip/Fall Hazard Self-Inspection Programs

    Spill and Wet Program

    Recommended Practices for Snow Removal

    Lighting

    Contractual Risk Transfer

    Construction, Renovation, and Special Event Planning

    Loss Analysis

    Exhibits

    Facility and Parking Lots: Hourly Inspection Log

    Sample Snow Removal Report

    Slip Resistance Test Results Format

    Sample Walkway Surface Design Audit

    Sample Walkway Surfaces Inspection

    Principles of Slip Resistance

    Introduction

    Principles of Friction

    Slip Resistance Defined

    Slip Resistance Factors

    The Mechanics of Walking

    Causation Between Incident and Injury

    Slip Resistance Scale

    Surface Roughness

    Wet Surfaces

    Human Perception of Slipperiness

    Classes of Tribometers

    Hunter Machine

    US Tribometers

    Introduction

    James Machine

    Horizontal Pull Slipmeter (HPS)

    Horizontal Dynamometer Pull-Meter (C21 Ceramic Whitewares and Related Products)

    Brungraber Mark I | Articulated Strut Slip Tester (PAST)

    Brungraber Mark II | Portable Inclinable Articulated Strut Slip Tester (PIAST)

    English XL | Variable Incidence Tribometer (VIT)

    Test Pad Material

    Uses for Tribometers

    Operator Qualifications of Competency

    Equipment Calibration and Maintenance

    Progress on the ASTM "Gold" Standard

    Other Groundbreaking Research

    EXHIBITS

    Comparison Chart: US Slip Resistance Test Methods

    Comparison Chart: Slip Resistance Test Methods Not Recognized in the US

    Neolite Patent

    US Standards and Guidelines

    Introduction

    Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

    Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

    Access Board Recommendations

    Federal Specifications

    US Military Specifications (Navy)

    ASTM International

    NFPA International

    American National Standards Institute (ANSI)

    Underwriters Laboratories

    Model Building Codes

    Obsolete Standards

    US-Based Industry Associations Involved with Slip Resistance

    EXHIBITS

    OSHA Report on Slip Resistance for Structural Steel

    Flooring and Floor Maintenance

    Introduction

    The Threshold of Safety

    Identifying Types of Flooring and Their Properties

    Floor Finishes and Their Properties

    The Impact of Wear

    Floor Cleaning

    Carpet Maintenance

    Assessment of Floor Treatment/Cleaning Products and Methods

    Floor Maintenance Certification

    Floor Treatment Study

    EXHIBITS

    Slip Resistant Floor Treatment Study

    Overseas Standards

    Introduction

    Slip and Fall Statistics Overseas

    Overseas Standard Development

    Ramp Tests

    Pendulum Testers

    Digitized Dragsleds

    Other Dragsleds

    Roller Coaster Tests

    Portable Friction Tester

    International Standards

    Overseas Organizations Involved in Slip Resistance

    EXHIBITS

    National Standards Bodies

    Approaches to Standards Development

    Footwear

    Introduction

    Footwear Design for Slip Resistance

    Labeling

    Advertising

    Other Selection Guidelines

    Other Protective Features

    Maintenance

    Footwear Programs

    Federal Specifications – USPS No. 89C

    Consensus Standards

    International Footwear Standards for Slip Resistance

    German – DIN 4843-100

    Food Service Operations

    Introduction

    Exposure Overview

    Pedestrian Flow and Slips, Trips, and Falls

    Floor Surfaces/Housekeeping

    Floor Mats

    Footwear

    Multiple Intervention Study

    EXHIBITS

    Floor Mat Cleaning Matrix

    Kitchen Slip/Fall Hazard Assessment

    Healthcare Operations

    Introduction

    Known Parameters of Patient Falls

    Causes of Patient Falls

    Calculating Fall Rates

    Interventions/Controls

    Reducing Employee Falls

    EXHIBITS

    Psycho-Social Aspects of Falls

    Profiles of Other High Risk Industries

    Introduction

    All Occupancies

    Hospitality (Lodging)

    Mercantile (Retail)

    Theaters

    Trucking

    EXHIBITS

    Stadium-Style Seating (Theater)

    Sample Footwear Policy for Trucking Fleets

    Theater Inspection Log – Common Areas

    Accident Investigation

    Introduction

    Pitfalls of Accident Reporting and Investigation

    Theories of Liability

    Accident Investigation

    Incident Reporting

    Occurrence Analysis

    Claim Mitigation

    Fraud Control Indicators

    Fraud Control

    Admissibility of Expert Testimony

    Documentation

    Staff Issues

    EXHIBITS

    Accident Reporting and Investigation Guide

    Ramp Fall Accidents

    Slippery Surfaces

    Stairway Fall Accidents

    Sample Accident Investigation - Parking Company

    Biography

    Steven Di Pilla