Study of Employee Slip/Trip/Fall Hazards at a Midwestern Urban Hospital Campus

Abstract

Nearly 500 employee slip, trip and fall incidents were reported in just over three years on a Midwestern urban hospital campus of approximately 10,000 employees. In an attempt to reduce the fall frequency, the hospital analyzed employee incident data during this period. Specifically, management searched for facility locations where multiple incidents occurred. However, the hospital found few, if any, patterns in the data with respect to fall location. In response, the hospital hired the author to provide them assistance in their effort to reduce the employee fall rate. The author first re-analyzed the data according to fall hazard rather than fall location and found common causes of incidents that accounted for large percentages of all falls. The data analysis was followed up with a site investigation and written recommendations.