Summer Time Slips and Trips
When we think of slips and falls, we often think about hazardous winter weather. However, slips, trips and falls aren't only a problem in the winter. Have you ever considered the danger of walking on your wood deck, through a grassy field, or even wearing flip flops? This post will address each of these issues and give a few pointers on what you can do to reduce these risks and stay safe walking in the warm months.
Slippery Wood Decks
Have you ever opened the door and stepped onto your deck in the early morning only to be shocked by an unexpected slip? This could be due to algae and fungi growing in a thin layer on your wood deck. With a little morning dew, algae and fungi growth on wood decking can create incredibly slippery conditions. If you unexpectedly find yourself walking on the slippery deck, we advise using the marching walking technique as taught in Slip Simulator™ training to safely get yourself off of the deck. We've actually created a "Wood Decking" tile for our Slip Simulator™ to bring awareness to this hazard and promote discussion during training.
To remove the algae and fungi buildup, you can use a mixture of white vinegar and water to help kill off the growth, and then scrub it free from the decking with a stiff bristle brush. There are also several commercial products available at home improvement stores that will kill the algae and fungi growth.
Once the growth has been cleaned off and the decking dry, you can apply a slip-resistant paint product to the decking to reduce the chance of growth and slippery conditions in the future. Algae and fungi buildup on steps and inclines can be particularly dangerous. Once cleaned and treated, you can additionality apply grip tape style solutions to the edge of the steps to provide more grip. Contrasting grip tape colors provide better identification of the step and reduce the risk of getting visually confused and missing or tripping on a step in low light conditions.
Proper deck maintenance, including pressure washing and regularly sweeping off debris, will reduce the risk of algae and fungi growth in the future.
Wet Grass and Mud
Another warm weather hazard we often don't consider is wet grass and mud. Wet grass in the early morning can be very slippery, and like wood decking, we're often not thinking about this as a hazard until we've experienced the slip. Freshly cut wet grass can be even more slippery, and poses a significant risk of causing a slip when it is blown out into a roadway or sidewalk.
Considering mud as a slipping hazard may not come as a surprise, however, like wet grass, it can be an unexpected source of injury. Newly formed mud after a moderate rain can be hidden underneath sparse grass or other forms of debris, making it difficult to determine that you're about to walk on a muddy surface. Walking up even a slightly muddy incline can be a very dangerous activity.
In both instances, awareness and proper footwear are important factors in reducing your risk of injury. Most slips occur when there is a lack of awareness and attention. Even if just going outside to take out the trash in the morning, check on the weather conditions and select appropriate footwear. If you think the ground may be wet or muddy, choose shoes with appropriate grip (don't just grab your indoor slippers or flip flops). Avoid walking up or down inclines that could be wet and/or muddy. Stick to hardscaped steps and paths, though be mindful of their surface conditions!
If you need to mow the lawn, wait until the grass has dried to cut your lawn. Be weary of stepping on or over any piles of wet grass you may be dumping during your mow. If your mower is blowing wet grass into the road or sidewalks, rake or blow the clippings back into the yard. Walk your yard before mowing, this not only helps identify and remove hazards that could disrupt mowing (like pine cones, sticks, rocks, etc.) but also removes hazards that could compromise your balance when stepped on.
As with the "Wood Decking" tile, we've also created a "Wet Grass" tile to raise awareness on this warmer weather hazard. Below is an image of these tiles installed on a customer's Slip Simulator™ floor.
Flip Flops
It is always nice to let our feet breathe in the warm summer months, or feel the water on our toes. However, we need to be aware of our footwear choices and how that might affect our risk of slips, trips and falls. Flip flops in particular can be a risk to us staying upright as we move around. Many types of flip flops can droop down a little bit on the front toe section of the footwear. This can create a condition for the footwear to snag on irregularities on the ground outside like rocks and small stumps, getting caught on the edge of steps when climbing, or things that present small variations in height like door thresholds or uneven sidewalks. Flip flops have been shown to have minimal clearance [Sharpe, et. al.] for stepping over small obstructions, and can increase the risk of tripping.
Flip flops also tend to have less structured traction molding on the bottom of the footwear as compared to normal shoes. A smooth bottom surface of the footwear has been shown to have the lowest coefficient of friction in any slippery condition encountered [KGK Rubberpoint Publication]. If you do choose to rock some flip flops, try to choose a pair with significant grooves in the bottom to help increase your grip in slippery conditions.
Finally, research has shown that once you start to slip while wearing flip flops, your chance of recovering is less than if you were wearing other footwear. A study from 2021 [Tennant et. al] looked at the slip behavior of flip flops under different tile flooring conditions. Interestingly, it was observed that not only was there a chance for the flip flop to slip on the tile floor as expected, but there was also a chance that the person's heel could lose contact with the flip flop and could slip on the flip flop contact surface as well. This presents an additional surface for a chance of slip, increasing the overall risk of slipping and falling when experiencing slippery conditions while wearing flip flops. An alternative to reduce the risk of the flip flop/foot slip condition would be to choose open toed footwear with a rear strap; more like a sandal. This would hold the heel in place and reduce this overall slipping effect against the foot and footwear.
Stay Safe
As you get out and enjoy the warm weather this summer, be aware of the potential hazards during work and play. Choose appropriate footwear for the conditions, and be mindful of where you place your feet. Stay safe out there!
References
Sharpe T, Malone A, French H, Kiernan D, O'Brien T. Effect of flip-flops on lower limb kinematics during walking: a cross-sectional study using three-dimensional gait analysis. Ir J Med Sci. 2016 May;185(2):493-501. doi: 10.1007/s11845-016-1421-y. Epub 2016 Feb 22. PMID: 26902474.
Mohamed M, Samy A, Ali W. KGK Rubberpoint, Friction Coefficient of Rubber Shoe Soles Sliding Against Ceramic Flooring. KGK April, 2011.
Tennant LM, Fok DJ, Kingston DC, Winberg TB, Parkinson RJ, Laing AC, Callaghan JP. Analysis of invoked slips while wearing flip-flops in wet and dry conditions: Does alternative footwear alter slip kinematics? Appl Ergon. 2021 Apr;92:103318. doi: 10.1016/j.apergo.2020.103318. Epub 2020 Dec 5. PMID: 33290936.
