The epidemiology of slips, trips, and falls in a helicopter manufacturing plant

Details

• Personal Author:
  Amandus H ; Bell J ; Biddle, Elyce A. ; Tiesman, Hope M.
• Description:
  Objective: The purpose of this evaluation was to evaluate the causes and costs of slips, trips, and falls (STFs) in a helicopter manufacturing plant. Background: STFs are a significant portion of the total industry injury burden. Method: For this study, 4,070 helicopter plant workers who were employed from January 1, 2004, through February 28, 2008, were enrolled. Company records on workers' compensation claims, occupational health first report of injury, and payroll records on hours worked were collected. Cause and source of all injuries, including STFs, were coded for analysis. Results: During the 4-year study period, there were 2,378 injuries and 226 STFs (46 falls [20 percent] to a lower level, 117 [52 percent] falls on the same level, 41 [18 percent] from loss of balance without a fall, and 22 [10 percent] from other events). Of the 226 STFs, 123 falls to the same level were caused by slippery substances (52), objects on floor (43), and surface hazards (28), and they cost $1,543,946. Falls to lower levels primarily involved access to stands to and from aircraft and falling off large machines. Conclusion: More than half of the STF injury claims likely could have been prevented by housekeeping and maintenance, and this cost saving could reasonably offset a considerable portion of the cost of prevention. Training and stand modifications could be considered to prevent falls from elevation from stands, machines, and aircraft. Application: Recommendations for STF prevention are discussed. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Accidental Falls Accident Prevention Accidents Accidents, Occupational Aircraft Delivery Of Health Care Emergency Responders Hazardous Substances Maintenance Manufacturing And Industrial Facilities Occupational Health Safety Safety Management Staff Development Workplace

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• Keywords:
  Accident-analysis Accident-prevention Accident-statistics Author Keywords: Causes And Costs Disabled-workers Emergency-care Emergency-treatment Employee-health Factory-workers Fall-protection Falls Floors Hazards Health-care Health-hazards Height-factors Helicopter Plant Housekeeping-products Industrial-environment Industrial-factory-workers Industrial-processes Industrial-safety Injuries Injury-prevention Ladders Lost-work-days Maintenance-workers Medical-care Medical-treatment Safety-measures Safety-practices Slips Step-ladders Surveillance Training Trips Walking-surfaces Work-environment Worker-health Workplace-studies

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• ISSN:
  0018-7208
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 3 ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DSR - Division of Safety Research
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  387-395
• Volume:
  54
• Issue:
  3
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20039522
• Citation:
  Hum Factors 2012 Jun; 54(3):387-395
• Contact Point Address:
  Harlan Amandus, Division of Safety Research, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 1095 Willowdale Road, M/S 1811, Morgantown, WV 26505
• Email:
  hamandus@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2012
• NORA Priority Area:
  Manufacturing
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Human Factors
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:314b2e7012415525ad2f2c53c74ea273fadbf9452efad57ceea108e0d8fdb742db9187627e6fa759c9ce0d6a17fcd14e9ecbe13683bfa04bb69e18f404f11145
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/192729/cdc_192729_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 267.39 KB ]