In this episode Ranmalee De Silva, 3M’s Application Engineering Specialist for the Cleaning and Workplace Safety portfolio of the Commercial Solutions Division in Australia and New Zealand joins us to discuss slips, trips and falls.

Each year slips, trips and falls results in thousands of preventable injuries in the workplace. People must be able to move around the workplace safely, these incidents are a significant problem affecting every workplace, from the factory floor to the office and quite often can result in serious injury and lengthy amounts of time off work. Are you aware of slip, trip and fall risks and hazards in your workplace or work area?

Guest Bio:

Ranmalee De Silva (pictured left with host Mark Reggers) is the Application Engineering Specialist for the Cleaning and Workplace Safety portfolio of the Commercial Solutions Division of 3M Australia and New Zealand.

She provides technical support to the business and helps customers find solutions to their floor safety, cleaning and spill management needs. Ranmalee is also involved in developing new products and improving, or extending the applications of existing ones. The Cleaning and Workplace Safety portfolio includes notable 3M Brands such as Scotchgard™ and ScotchBrite™.

LinkedIn Profile

 

In this episode, Mark & Ranmalee discuss the following:

• Why are slips and trips constantly happening and keep happening?
• Are there regulations around slips, trips and falls?
• How should a workplace or facility begin to understand and evaluate their slip and trip risks and hazards?
• Can you measure how slippery a floor is to compare to a standard, like a workplace exposure standard?
• What things should a workplace consider, or put in place, to control these slip and trip risks?
• Where can listeners get more information on slips, trips and falls?

Slipping, tripping or falling at the workplace can lead to serious injuries. Slips occur when a person’s foot loses traction with the ground surface, trips occur when a person unexpectedly catches their foot on an object or surface and falls may result from a slip or trip, but many occur during falls from low heights. A person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) must manage health and safety risks associated with slips, trips and falls by eliminating the risk so far as is reasonably practicable. If that is not possible, they must minimise risks so far as is reasonably practicable. Have these hazards and risks been assessed in your workplace and corrective actions put in place? Tune in as we look at the possible causes and the various options a workplace or facility could implement to minimise the likelihood of slips, trips and falls to ensure the safety of its employees and their visitors.

Additional Resources:

• Podcast Transcript
• SafeWork Australia – Slips Trips & Falls
• WorkSafe QLD – Slips Trips & Falls
• WorkSafe Victoria – Slips Trips & Falls
• SafeWork SA - Slips Trips & Falls
• 3M Australia – Facility Safety

Contact a 3M Safety Specialist at scienceofsafetyanz@mmm.com for more information.