Are your building occupants safe from slips, trips, and falls?
Slips, trips, and falls are not only a danger in the workplace. They can happen on any walking surface, from your front lobby to the sidewalk. Slip, trip, and fall incidents can seriously injure people moving through your building, whether they are employees, tenants, or customers.
How Do Slips, Trips, and Falls Happen?
Slips are commonly caused by:
- Wet or moist surfaces
- Oily surfaces
- Spills
- Loose rugs or mats
- Surfaces with differing degrees of traction
Trips are commonly caused by:
- Obstructed view
- Poor lighting
- Clutter
- Wrinkled carpeting
- Uncovered cables
- Open bottom drawers
- Uneven steps or thresholds
According to Scot Young Research, 9 in 10 falls happen when a person transfers from a dry surface to a wet surface.
How Your Professional Cleaning Company Can Prevent Slips, Trips, and Falls
Building owners, facility managers, and employers need to make proper floor cleaning a priority if they want to avoid slip, trip, and fall accidents.
- Maintain a Regular Cleaning Schedule
Every floor should be kept free of debris. That means regular sweeping and mopping, as well as upkeep. Particularly during bouts of seasonal weather (extensive rain or snow), a professional janitorial service will ensure that your floors remain clean, safe, and dry.
Furthermore, as your janitorial company cleans, they will remove any clutter that has accumulated on the floors.
- Use the Right Equipment and Products
Cleaning companies have specific products designed to clean floors thoroughly and dry them quickly when they are done. For example, mop heads made of materials that quickly absorb liquids will reduce the floor’s drying period and improve safety.
- Use Appropriate Signage
When a floor is wet, whether from a spill or a recent cleaning, your cleaning company should ensure that the area is properly marked with danger signage, to warn pedestrians of the potential slip hazard.
- Clean Spills Immediately
Don’t let spills sit on the floor. Once you notice a spill, it should be cleaned up as soon as possible to prevent accidents.
If you hire a day porter/matron for your building, they will always be on call to clean up any unexpected messes in-between regularly scheduled cleaning – including spills.
- Replace Burnt Out Lights
As mentioned above, trips are often caused by poor lighting. Replace any burnt out lights quickly. Once again, a day porter/matron can conduct this kind of minor maintenance on an ongoing basis.
- Use Floor Mats Properly
Good floor matting is essential, especially during the winter months when people will be dragging slush and snow into your building. If you don’t have mats, that moisture will create a serious slip hazard on your floor. Your cleaning company will ensure mats are in place to prevent this. They should also make sure the mats are well-anchored and flat on the floor.
Keeping your floors clean and in good condition will drastically reduce the risk of slips, trips, and falls occurring in your building. You need a responsible cleaning company with the right equipment and techniques.
>> Sunshine Building Maintenance will customize a cleaning and maintenance schedule to meet your building’s needs. Contact us for a quote or to submit a request for proposal.
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