The benefit of slips, trips, and fall detection system

Slips, Trips, and Falls (STF) are the leading cause of worker injuries and fatalities in many industries today, costing businesses over $11 billion every year. Slips, trips and falls are primarily caused by slippery floors, standing on unstable objects, tripping over items left on the floor, and loss of balance on stairs and ladders, leading to loss of limbs, broken bones, serious injuries, and fatalities.

Today, wearing safety gadgets like anti-slip shoes and installing slip-resistant flow finishes are among the best methods to prevent STF-related injuries. Despite that, the number of slip, trip, and fall incidents continues to grow. In fact, STF-related injuries account for 35% of incidents and 65% of lost workdays. According to OSHA, slips, trips, and falls cause 15% of all accidental deaths, second only to automobile fatalities. 

One way to mitigate the rising number of injuries associated with slips, trips, and fall is to incorporate slip, trip, and fall detection technology into safety programs. Before we discuss the benefits of the slips, trips and falls detection system, let’s learn how it works. 

How does the Slips Trips and Fall detection system work?

An STF detection system is connected to a camera (webcam) and a PC that runs an algorithm that identifies the movement of workers and marks potential incidents on the screen. The video analytics detects and alerts to potential slip and fall hazards such as water or spills, tripping hazards on steps and uneven flooring at the entrance, exit, or corners of a room, improperly secured rugs and carpets, reduced lighting, and icy or wet floor conditions. 

The system is actively monitoring the environment, spots the hazard early, and notifies the administrator so that the correct line of action to mitigate the hazard can be taken. The administrator can also set up specific policies to review the video footage of the time and location of the event, and decide what action is to be taken.

What are the benefits of the ST&F Detection System?

The primary advantage of a Slip, Trip, and Fall (STF) detection system is that it uses video analytics technology to detect slipping, tripping, or falling people and provide timely assistance. As a result, 

ST& F detection allows companies to be proactive, not just reactive to workplace injuries.

Workplace injuries often go from bad to worse when the victim does not receive immediate help. And this is not only peculiar to any type of company. Even companies with robust slip-and-fall prevention programs are still prone to human error. Therefore, the best way to prevent STF-related injuries is to work with a technology that puts you ahead of the incident. 

Factors that improve the risks of Slip, trips, and falls include, working on slippery surfaces, poor lone working monitoring procedures in construction or manufacturing facilities, working overnight shifts in retail stores, security guards, and the lack of an emergency response procedure. 

Conversely, facilities that utilize ST&F detection systems stay more than one step ahead of hazards. The detection system does not only detect leaks or obstacles that may cause falling, slipping, or tripping, it also alerts workers close to the risk. 

The STF system can monitor the work environment in real-time, alerting supervisors to potential hazards, pro-actively reducing the amount of time it takes to find, evaluate and address the root causes of these hazards. Also, the system can identify unsafe working conditions such as inadequate lighting and ventilation, accumulation of combustible material, imminent hazards, etc which can lead to slips, trips, and falls.

ST&F detection system promotes efficiency through automation

Human error is the weakness of any kind of safety program. Consciously or unconsciously a person can alter the very essence of a safety program in many ways: negligence, lack of proper training, fatigue, an act of spite, etc. 

When it comes to automation, machine-powered technology like the ST&F detection system takes over activities that humans are incapable of doing or are prone to getting wrong, promoting efficiency and result. 

For example, HSE (Health and Safety Executives) identified that the following factors lead to slips, trips, and falls:

• Slippery or wet surfaces caused by water and/or other fluids (eg residue left from cleaning, or body fluids)
• Slippery surfaces caused by dry or dusty floor contamination (eg dust, lint, or talcum powder)
• Slippery flooring in areas prone to regular contamination (eg kitchens, bathrooms, main entrances, etc) where slip-resistant flooring would be expected.
• Obstructions, both temporary and permanent (eg trolleys, cables, items not stored away)

Hiring workers to detect and clean slippery surfaces and remove obstacles can be an effective way to reduce these risks. However, a human can make errors or become ineffective when this process becomes repetitive and boring. 

On the other hand, a slip, trip, and fall detection system guarantee clock effectiveness in detection. The system is equipped with laser-focused vision technology that can detect and alert even the slightest leak in any facility. Similarly, it helps staff by alerting them about the location of obstacles so that they do not have to go around the facility all the time.

Slip, Trip, and Fall detection system sends real-time alerts to address accidents sooner.

The STF system can also be used to send real-time alerts to security, maintenance, or housekeeping staff when safety conditions are exceeded. These alerts can be used to prevent accidents or injuries from occurring.  

We should understand that the STF system is not intended to replace the standard safety practices required to minimize the risk of slips, trips, and falls. Rather, the STF system is intended to complement the safety practices by helping to detect when accidents have occurred and alerting staff to problems.  

That’s not all, the system is also capable of tagging data of the environment to each alert, so your company can access more precise and detailed records of accidents and injuries, and better prepare for potential hazards. Another advantage is that the alerts can be sent via SMS, email, or push notification. 

It helps companies boost their safety program using hard facts and evidence-based intelligence.

It is very easy to design a program that only eliminates the symptoms of the occupational injuries rather than the cause. This is (mostly) due to one problem: a lack of intelligent insights. 

Sometimes, the cause of recurring slips, trips, and falls is behavioral rather than technical. It is easy to fault the friction integrity of a safety boot while ignoring the need for efficient safety wearable training.   

With the intelligence of an ST&F detection system, you will see more than meet the eyes. The system is connected to a dashboard where worksite managers, for example, can visualize safety incidents in real-time. Rather than relying on pen and paper reports that may come in days after an incident, the system collects and develops a digitalized safety incident report.

This digitalized safety incident report facilitates data-backed insight that informs you of the behavioral and technical problems in your safety program to identify safety blind spots and treat real problems. 

Conclusion

Slips, Trips, and Falls are the leading cause of occupational injuries in many industries today. While safety wearables are a great way of preventing them, it is important that employers and safety managers robust their safety program with a Slip, Trip, and Fall detection system. Aside from the fact that the system provides proactive monitoring of your facility, it also offers advanced analytics and data that can help you overall your entire safety program.