Contamination:
People rarely slip on a clean, dry floor. Contamination is involved in almost all slip accidents. Contamination includes anything that ends up on a floor, e.g. rain water, oil, dust, dropped produce, leaking equipment etc. If a floor has a smooth surface for example standard vinyl, ceramic tiles or varnished wood, even a tiny amount of contamination can be a real slip problem.
Contamination can also be introduced by the work activity and by Cleaning!
What should you do?
Identify where the contamination is coming from:
Spills – Leaks – Overflow - Cleaning Activity - Run-off - From footwear etc.
Consider how to stop the contamination reaching the floor, i.e.:
Guards - Drip trays – Lids - Review working practices - Entrance matting etc.
If contamination is inevitable, identify other controls to avoid slips, ie:
Flooring type – Cleaning regime – Footwear – Training etc.
Identify the correct cleaning procedure for floors:
Encourage a 'See it, sort it!' and ‘Clean as you go mentality to deal with hazards quickly, eg dealing with a spillage, instead of waiting for someone else to deal with it. Don’t just place a ‘Wet Floor Sign’. Clean and dry the contamination at the same time.
Cleaning:
Effective cleaning is an important way of employers managing slips and trips risks. Cleaning is important in managing slips and trips for two reasons:
• cleaning is supposed to deal with contamination that would otherwise lead to slip accidents but
• the cleaning process often introduces slip or trip hazards, ie wet floors and electrical leads for the cleaning machines.
Make sure that staff who carry out cleaning duties have the right information, instruction and training to enable them to carry out their work safely and effectively.
Restrict access to wet/drying floors & Consider:
• Cleaning during quiet hours when pedestrians are not around
• Leave smooth floors dry after cleaning or exclude pedestrians until the floor is dry
• Cleaning in sections, so there is a dry path through the area
• Using warning signs, but remember to remove them when the area is clean and dry
These are just a few ideas to help you keep your floors safe and reduce the slip risk for your staff and customers. If you would like any further advice or you would like to have your floors slip tested, please contact us and we will be happy to help.
(Source: www.hse.gov.uk)