Slips, trips and falls have become one of the main health and safety risks in our community and the most expensive occupational health and safety cost for business and industry, according to studies undertaken by CSIRO’s Division of Manufacturing and Infrastructure Technology (CMIT).
In fact, injuries from falls are estimated to cost the Australian society more than $2360 million each year, according to the group.
Scientists at CSIRO’s Division of Manufacturing and Infrastructure Technology (CMIT) have been grappling with how to keep people on their feet in their research on minimising the risks and costs of people taking a tumble.
The CSIRO slip resistance team receives hundreds of inquiries each year from organisations and individuals seeking advice on current best-practice slip resistance policies, on-site inspections, forensic investigation or legal testimony. Given most falls involve a complex interaction of factors, such as the slip resistance of the surface, footwear, activities, age, biomedical status and the environment at the time, the team’s work is rarely straightforward.
CSIRO’s Carl Strautins says customers range from manufacturers, supermarkets and flooring companies to builders, cleaners, architects, disability access consultants and WorkCover authorities. The CMIT test laboratories in Melbourne and Sydney have been the focus of the team’s work.
“The laboratories host state of the art testing equipment that enable testing and evaluation to Australian and international standards,” Strautins says.
In human terms, 14 Australians died and more than 26,000 were injured as a result of falls at work in 2003, according to recent figures from the National Occupational Health and Safety Commission.
“Ask most people what the major cause of injury is in Australia and the answer would probably focus on car injuries or industrial accidents but the real answer is the slips and falls that occur mostly in our everyday lives,” Strautins says.
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