Keep Your Employees Well Grounded

We’ve all slipped on a slick floor, tripped over a child’s toy or fallen off a ladder. When it happens at home, we usually end up with minor, though sometimes embarrassing, bumps, bruises or scrapes. When it happens at work, it can be far more serious.

Falls are the third leading cause of workplace fatalities, behind automotive accidents and contact with equipment. Slips, trips and falls also carry direct and indirect costs.

Direct costs, which include medical and income benefits for the injured worker, are covered by the insurance carrier. Indirect costs, such as making up for lost production, come out of your pocket. Indirect costs can be one time to 10 times higher than direct costs.

The average non-fatal slip, trip or fall injury results in about $23,929 in direct costs. If we use a conservative one-to-two ratio, that seemingly minor injury will cost you $47,858.

So, that’s the bad news. The good news is that you can prevent most slips, trips and falls.