EXPERT ADVICE
NO SLIP-UPS NOW
A traditional mop and bucket may not be the best way to combat spills in a busy environment, according to Marc Ferguson, International Business Development Manager for Kaivac. Here, he shares his expert advice on the best slip response programmes.
Researchers from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), a UK government body that works to protect health and safety in Britain’s workplaces, were observing activities in connection with slips and falls in a fast food outlet. They noticed that a customer had just purchased food and a drink but spilled a small amount of the drink on the floor while walking to her table.
The staff at the fast food outlet noticed the spill, and within minutes a member of the staff ‘came over to deal with the problem. He mopped up the spill and the surrounding floor area because it too looked dirty,’ cleaning about two square metres of the floor. The spill was gone and the appearance of the problem area was indistinguishable from the rest of the floor, according to the researchers.
However, that is not the end of the story. First the good news: Very often spills, far larger than this, are not attended to quickly, if at all. While the report did not indicate how busy the restaurant was, in a very busy situation, staffers’ time would be more focused on getting food to paying customers and not mopping up a small drink spill on the floor.
But now the bad news: The fact that the just mopped area was indistinguishable from the rest of the floor area actually created a whole new set of safety issues. The researchers found that it took ‘seven minutes to dry and measurement showed that the area was extremely slippery during that time.’
In other words, and at least in this situation, it may have been better to leave the spill on the floor. At least then customers could see it and avoid it. As it turns out, once the floor was cleaned there was no indication that the floor was wet. This makes for one of the worst case situations, creating a slip and fall accident just waiting to happen.
SLIPS AND FALLS HAPPEN In UK workplaces, about 40 workers lose their lives each year due to a slip and fall accident. These types of accidents are now considered the most common cause of workplace injury in the country, resulting in more than 15,000 major injuries to workers with more than 30,000 workers taking three or more days off work as a result of a slip and fall accident.
According to the HSE, these slips and falls cost the country about £800million annually. And these statistics just
12 | Tomorrow’s Cleaning Floorcare Supplement
reflect slips and falls in the workplace. Thousands of slips and falls occur in malls, supermarkets, airports, schools, and other facilities every day. Often they are never reported. Just as in the workplace, scores of people lose their lives or are injured in Britain each year as a result of slipping and falling in a commercial facility.
The bottom line is slips and falls happen and they will always happen. This is true even as we make greater progress developing floor coverings and finishes, as well as shoes that help prevent slips and falls from occurring.
What is needed to address this situation is to develop some type of effective spill response programme. With an effective programme in place, the problem spill can be addressed quickly, not become a contributing factor for another potential slip and fall accident, and leave the floor clean and safe in seconds, if not minutes.
CREATING A SPILL
RESPONSE PLAN An effective spill response strategy really starts before a hazard ever materialises. A well cleaned and maintained floor is invariably a safer floor. Cleaning professionals should
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