WRITTEN BY GARY SMITH, APARTMENT BUILDING MANAGEMENT WORKERS COMPENSATION SELF INSURED FUND
Slips, trips and falls are among the most common hazards in the property management business especially this time of year. For example, in the Apartment Association’s Self Insured Workers Compensation Fund, 22 percent of claims and 38 percent of costs over a 15 year period have involved slips, trips and falls. Of those slips and falls, 12 percent of the claims and 35 percent of the costs have been related to ice and snow.
Slip and fall injuries are typically much more expensive than the average claim. Take the Fund for example, where ice and snow related accidents account for more than 16 percent of all claim costs within the Fund while only representing 5 percent of the number of claims filed. Why such a high cost for relatively few accidents? These types of accidents can result in injuries as minor as bumps and bruises to broken bones all the way up to head trauma. In fact, as we grow older we tend to not bounce like we used to when we fall, resulting in more broken bones and torn muscles.
So what can we do to prevent these types of accidents given that we live in a state where winter seems to last forever? Our investigations over the years have shown that most slip and fall accidents could have been prevented with some minor common sense approaches that would not only protect your employees but your tenants and guests as well.
For Example:
• Provide salt containers at entrances and encourage use by tenants and guests
• Require your maintenance crews or contractors to maintain salt logs including those times when they checked but did not need to apply
• Be sure to check sidewalk and parking lot conditions later in the day when the afternoon sun may have caused some snow to melt and the water begins to refreeze as the sun sets. This can often lead to black ice which is very difficult to detect.
• Be sure to plan and specify where you want parking lot snow piled. Most contractors will simply push it to the edge of the parking lot which when it starts to melt could cause slippery conditions if the ground slopes back toward the parking area.
• Check pathways leading to your trash cans and other frequently traveled areas for ice.
• Check to make sure downspouts are not discharging water directly onto a sidewalk where someone could slip.
• Consider providing your maintenance staff with slip resistant shoe grips which they can put on over the top of existing shoes. Yaktrax makes a particularly popular model of this product and has received good reviews.
• Use walk-off mats at all entrances to help trap snow
• Use floor sealants and waxes which do not contribute to making the floor surface more slippery. Consider installing carpet rather than floor tile during your next remodel project.
• Replace burned out lights, especially outdoors and in stairwells so pockets of ice and snow are more visible. ■
Smith-Peabody-Stiles supports efforts to make the workplace a safer and more productive environment. For concerns or questions about safety issues contact Wendy Light or Jim Peabody at SPS, 1-800-467-6645. We welcome your calls and inquiries. Smith-Peabody-Stiles supports efforts to make the workplace a safer and more productive environment. For concerns or questions about safety issues contact Wendy Light or Jim Peabody at SPS, 1-800-467-6645. We welcome your calls and inquiries.