Survey: Most Safety Risk Zones in Facilities Aren't Being Addressed

TIPTON, Pa. — More can be done to protect against workplace slips, trips and falls, according to a new Walk Zone Safety Report from New Pig that pinpoints the biggest causes and hazards.

New Pig, a multi-channel, multi-brand supplier of spill control and liquid management solutions and industrial maintenance products, conducted a survey to look into what causes 20,000 people to get hurt in slip and fall workplace accidents per year.

It found that while 92 percent of companies take measures to protect entranceways, they’re neglecting other potentially dangerous zones.

Entranceways, the most protected of the zones, account for 51 percent of incidents, followed by employee walkways (24 percent), zones around equipment and machines (23 percent), transition areas (23 percent), and frequent spill areas (20 percent).

Other problematic areas include customer walkways (14 percent), kitchens (9 percent), bathrooms (6 percent), and around water fountains (3 percent).

All of the potential danger zones come with specific fall hazards. New Pig’s survey found that companies attribute 37 percent of falls at their sites to rain and snow. Rubber-backed mats, which are meant to protect against such incidents, were found to be hazardous by 15 percent of survey respondents, followed by spill areas (11 percent), machinery leaks (8 percent), and wet floors from cleaning (6 percent).

“This survey was a real eye-opener for us,“ said Dan Silver, New Pig’s vice president of product development. “We learned from some really dedicated people that protecting employees or customers requires a change of mindset from a narrow, location-specific view to a more holistic, entire-facility view of floor safety. Terms like 'walkway audit' and 'safety planogram' need to become part of their regular vocabulary. Great solutions are out there to dramatically reduce slip and fall risks.”

New Pig helps companies manage leaks, drips and spills to protect workers, facilities and the environment. It serves industrial, commercial, utility, military and government facilities in 70 countries worldwide.