|
|
Loss Lessons
|
SLIP AND FALL
|
| |
PestSure Members,
The most frequent cause of injury to a pest control technician
is tripping or slipping on something on the walking surface,
and falling down. These falls result in injuries to the back,
shoulders, neck, wrists, head, legs and knees. In one PestSure
accident, a pest control technician was treating around the
perimeter of a home when she stepped on a moss covered gutter
downspout that was partially hidden by a shrub. Her fall resulted
in a shoulder injury that required surgery to repair the damage.
Since the surgery, the technician has lost almost all range
of motion in the shoulder due to excessive scar tissue.
Our technician was injured when she was completing a very
routine task. This type of injury is common and severe for
technicians because our attention is on the area of treatment
as opposed to our path of travel. In addition we are often
carrying something which inhibits our ability to catch ourselves
when we fall. This simple fall accident resulted in a lasting
disability for this technician.
Lesson:
- The most routine tasks that appear to have little or
no risk for a pest control technician can cause us to
be complacent in our assessment of the work site.
- A pre-service walk of the premises when you first arrive
will allow you to spot any potential hazards that are
present and allow you to take notice of them prior to
turning your attention to the work to be done.
- An account can change significantly from one visit to
the next and you have little control over the environment
in which you work. Your main safety precaution is to make
yourself aware of, and avoid existing hazards.
- Discuss pre-service assessment with your technicians.
During on the job training, teach new technicians to walk
the premises and point out potential slip and trip hazards
as you train.
In this case, our technician did not see the slippery downspout
until she was lying on the ground next to it after her fall.
A quick pre-service walk could have prevented this accident
and the multitude of these types of falls that occur to our
technicians every day. Please take the time to review this
accident and some of the common walking surface hazards that
exist for your technicians on the accounts they service. Share
and discuss this Loss Lesson with your entire team so they
can apply the knowledge in the field and we can all learn
from this event.
Linda Midyett
Area Manager
Safety and Loss Prevention, PestSure
Arthur J. Gallagher Risk Management Services, Inc.
14241 Dallas Parkway, Suite 300
Dallas, TX 75254
972.663.6199
800.326.6203 |
| |
| |
|
