SYR Stresses Consequences Of Wet Floors In The Workplace

Scot Young Research (SYR) has announced the release of a new white paper highlighting the dangers of wet floors in the workplace. On an annual basis, about 95 million workdays are lost due to falls, and the statistics for workplace falls are rising. A slippery or unclean floor can be one of the biggest hazards for accidents in the workplace, causing physical and emotional pain for the victims and financial burdens for the employer. SYR asserts that those statistics can be lowered if employers have better safety procedures, better cleaning equipment and better cleaning training for their employees.

About nine out of every 10 falls happen when a person steps onto a wet surface; the Occupational Safety Health Administration (OSHA) claimed that the causes of a majority of slips and falls range from walkways that are contaminated, oily or wet; loose rugs or mats on the floor; spills of various materials that cause one to slip or fall; employees who aren’t wearing the right type of shoes/boots; weather and poorly trained employees. These falls in the workplace cause sprains, broken bones, head injuries and sometimes even death. For some individuals, it means weeks of physical rehabilitation, but for most it means some lost time at work.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that the workers’ compensation costs related to falls hits $70billion on an annual basis, and insurance companies then pass their costs on to the workforce and employers. The average fall where injury occurs is followed by eight days of not working, which is two days longer than injuries due to other causes, while 30% of falls that happen on a flat surface result in 21 days of workdays lost.

According to Liberty Mutual, between 1998 and 2005, falls in the workplace rose by 25.6%; during that same timeframe, injuries from other work-related accidents had dropped. It seems obvious to the cleaning industry that companies across the US need to make it a priority to enact better cleaning procedures and upgrade to better cleaning products that help ensure safety. With solutions like the Dry Mop and the Multi-Purpose Tool, SYR is working to improve the ways companies keep their floors clean, while also significantly reducing the number of insurance claims made due to slips and falls.