Workers’ Experience of Slipping in U.S. Limited-Service Restaurants

Abstract

The leading cause of injuries among restaurant workers is same-level falls, a significant proportion of which result from slipping. This study examines the experience of limited-service restaurant workers with slipping, their use of slip-resistant shoes, and their floor-cleaning practices. A total of 475 workers from 36 limited-service restaurants in six U.S. states participated in a 12-week prospective cohort study on slipping in the workplace. At baseline, participants completed a survey that gathered information about their demographics, perceptions of floor slipperiness, use of slip-resistant shoes, floor cleaning practices, and number of slips experienced in the previous 4 weeks. During the subsequent 12 weeks, participants reported their slip experience weekly. Restaurant managers reported kitchen floor cleaning protocols and shoe policies. The overall rate of slipping during the 12 weeks of the prospective study was 0.44 slips per 40 work hours. The mean of the individual rate of slipping varied among the restaurants from 0.02 to 2.49 slips per 40 work hours, a rate ratio of more than 100 among the restaurants with the highest and the lowest rate of slipping. Such a large variation, which is unlikely due to chance alone (p < 0.05), suggests that some restaurants are better able to control slipping than others. The highest numbers of slips were reported in the sink and fryer areas, which were also identified by restaurant workers as being the most slippery. Liquid and grease were reported as floor contaminants in over 70% of the slips. In restaurants where slip-resistant shoes were provided by the employer, 91% of participants wore them; whereas if they were neither provided nor encouraged, only 53.5% wore them (p < 0.01). Use of enzyme-based floor cleaners was widespread (25/36). In these restaurants, however, 62% of the participants who were responsible for cleaning floors reported using hot/warm water, thus violating the manufacturer's cold water floor cleaning protocol. These findings suggest that focused prevention efforts based on practices from restaurants with low rates of slipping could decrease slipping hazards.

State of science: occupational slips, trips and falls on the same level

“…In addition, proper executions of existing cleaning protocols could affect the outcome. Verma et al (2010) reported that 62% of the participants who were responsible for cleaning floors used hot/warm water with widely used enzyme-based floor cleaners, thus violating the manufacturer’s cold water floor cleaning protocol. Quirion, Poirier, and Lehane (2008) used very limited cleaning methods with few cleaning chemicals in their experiment.…”

A prospective study of floor surface, shoes, floor cleaning and slipping in US limited-service restaurant workers

“…Floor surface contamination is frequently reported when slips occur 15 23. Although regular effective floor cleaning to reduce floor contamination may reduce the incidence of slipping, the process of cleaning itself, such as when the floor is wet during and after mopping, can also present a slipping hazard.…”

Factors associated with use of slip-resistant shoes in US limited-service restaurant workers

“…They further calculated that the total workers' compensation losses caused by same-level falls in restaurants resulted in an industry-wide cost of US$116 per worker, annually. Verma et al 24 previously reported that participants working in restaurants where shoes were not provided by the employer reported paying a mean of US$29.26 (SD 10.82) for slip-resistant shoes. Based on these findings, even without adjusting for inflation, each pair of slip-resistant shoes would result in cost savings of about US$58 (116/2), assuming 50% reduction in injuries from same-level falls in workers' compensation cost alone.…”

“…The survey materials were made available in three languages: English, Spanish and Portuguese. Enrolment procedures have been previously described in detail 22 24…”