Preventing Slips, Trips and Falls

Learn more about the prevention of slips, trips and falls.

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Safety Talks are a great way to build a positive health and safety culture. Use the PSHSA Slips, Trips and Falls tool kit as your next Safety Talk theme!

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Falls Awareness Week is May 6–10, 2019 and, along with the Ministry of Labour, we encourage you to stop work for 15–30 minutes during the week to have a safety talk about fall hazards specific to your workplace. Talking about falls can lead to identifying hazards and gaps in knowledge or training. Download our safety kit to help you get started!

 

Our goal is to support an open dialogue about fall hazards at work and to foster a shift in workplace culture surrounding falls. As part of a workplace’s Internal Responsibility System, all workplace parties have a role to play in maintaining a healthy and safe workplace. Falls are preventable!  

elevated platforms toolkit

ladder safety toolkit

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Slips, trips and falls are common workplace occurrences that can result in serious injuries and disabilities to workplace parties. These occurrences are a major hazard facing employers today. It has been named a priority issue among Health and Safety stakeholders in Ontario.

 

  • From 2011 to 2016, “falls” was ranked as the second top cause of traumatic fatalities with 66 workers killed.
  • In 2017 “falls” was the third highest injury event and accounted for 20% of lost time claims with the WSIB.

 

In response, PSHSA has created Slips, Trips, and Falls Tool Kit offering free resources to support employers in making their workplace a safe environment. In this tool kit you will find a checklist for working on elevated platforms, information about ladder safety, and an infographic on Slips, Trips, and Falls. To aid in prevention and reduction of injuries resulting from this hazard we encourage you to download this tool kit and use the resources to hold a 15 minute Safety Talk with your employees.

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Falls accounted for 20% of allowed lost time claims. More than 1 in 4 falls claims inclued falls to a lower level. Fall on the same level was the leading injury in the Education, Municipal, and Pulp & Paper sectors. Sectors with the highest rate of falls to same level: 1: Schedule 2* 2: Municipal 3: Transportation 4: Forestry 5: Health Care * Schedule 2 is defined as organizations that are either funded publicy, legislated by the province but self-funded, or privately owned but involved in federally regulated industries. Sectors with the highest rate of falls to lower level: 1: Construction 2: Transportation 3: Agriculture 4: Municipal 5: Forestry

falls infographic 2

This data is taken from a Ministry of Labour review of the 92 fall from height fatality events that ocurred in Ontario from 2009 to 2016 (excluding falls from slips, trips and staircases). 63% of worksites had less than 4 workers on site. 45% of workers had less than 1 year experience in the role. 38% of fatal accidents happened in the summer. 29% of fatal falls from heights were self-employed workers or business owners.

Call a PSHSA consultant in your region if you have any questions. Our consultants provide subject matter expertise required for creative and innovative health and safety training and resources.

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