How PT experts can help to prevent slips, trips and falls at your workplace

Slips, trips and falls are all common incidents that can happen at work. That’s in spite of all the effort companies put into limiting such issues. Fortunately, there are ways physical therapists can help you prevent slips, trips and falls on the job. Let’s discuss how these medical professionals can help to prevent slips, trips and falls at work.

Ways physical therapists can help prevent workplace slips, trips and falls

Physical therapy isn’t just about treating work injuries. It can also help people improve their ability to prevent such injuries, especially from slips, trips and falls at work. So, how exactly can physical therapists help prevent slips, trips and falls in the workplace? Here are three ways they can do so: 

1. Helping you with stability issues — It’s common to develop weakness in certain muscles or muscle groups. People’s joints may also stiffen up over time. Minor issues like these can affect your ability to stay stable while you’re moving around at work. Physical therapists can help you identify minor stability issues and help you address them. This can reduce your risk of slipping, tripping or falling. 

2. Analyzing your fall risk — Many physical therapists can also test your ability to maintain your balance. Such tests often involve moving around in various ways while your physical therapist observes you. The results of your balance testing can help your physical therapist determine how high your fall risk is, and they can then pass the information on to you. 

3. Offering fall prevention recommendations — Physical therapists also have a lot of recommendations that they can make to help you reduce your risk of falling at work. Often, they can provide suggestions simply by asking you some questions about your work environment. Your physical therapist may also be able to visit your workplace and provide you with suggestions after a visual inspection. 

Suggestions physical therapists can make for how to prevent slips, trips and falls at work

• Maintain a clean and dry floor — You should always keep the floors in your workplace clean and dry to prevent slipping hazards. You can prevent slips and falls by requesting to have floor mats installed on wet or slippery floors.

• Install proper lighting — It’s important that you can see well in areas where you walk and work. This will help prevent you from tripping over objects on the floor or other hazards, such as cables and cords.

• Be mindful of furniture placement — Keep furniture and equipment pushed up against walls when possible. This will help pathways not be obstructed.

Back in Motion is ready to help you prevent and treat work injuries from slips, trips and falls

Even though Back in Motion physical therapists can offer suggestions for how to prevent slips, trips and falls at work, accidents still happen. Our physical therapists can carry out a complete evaluation to pinpoint the injury you have. They can also create a treatment plan tailored to your individual needs. 

Contact one of our front desk coordinators today to learn more about how we can help treat and prevent work injuries.