Document Dvj7qBoegnmBmODOOMRRMov0B

22--Non-Employee Accident Prevention disturbances, fatigue, lack of familiarity with the environment, and poor vision, which can not be readily identified or controlled It thus becomes doubly important to eliminate unsafe conditions and unsafe employee prac tices to which the blame for an accident can be shifted or which might contribute to the personal cause As an example, mirrors and other distracting decorations should not be placed in areas visible from steps or from approaches to steps or escalators Types of floor surfaces A wide variety of floor surfaces are avail able In office buildings, hotels, mercantile, and similar establishments, it is common to find masonry (terrazzo, cement, or quarry tale) floors at entrances, in lobbies, on stair ways, and sometimes extensively throughout the ground floor and in upper floor corridors Decorative materials such as terrazzo, marble, and ceramic tale are most often used for in teriors while concrete and granite are gen erally considered more practical for exterior use ' Details are m Tables 22-B and -C In other public areas in these buildings, the base floor, usually of concrete or wood, is generally surfaced with one or more of the popular resilient floor covering materials Carpeting is commonly used on limited areas m the department, furniture, specialty, and similar stores and in hotels Elsewhere, asphalt, linoleum, rubber, or plastic in either sheet or tile form, wdl usually be found Ob viously, safety, initial cost, durability and maintenance costs are some factors which gov ern the choice of floor covering Most flooring materials, whether wood, masonry, or the resilient types, are reasonably slip resistant in their original untreated con dition Exceptions will be found among some of the masonry materials A highly polished marble, terrazzo, or ceramic tde may be used to achieve an ornamental effect These highly polished surfaces can be slippery when dry Their slipperiness will be greatly increased by moisture, by improper surface treating prepa rations, and by improper cleaning materials and methods Unless a non-slip material is added to the aggregate during construction, the only preparation which should be used on such floors is a penetrating sealer of the slip- resistant type Good housekeeping prevents falls In food retail operations, stores, and mer cantile establishments, it is estimated that fix tures, displays, and other portable equipment are involved in over 40 percent of customer falls Therefore, it is essential that manage ment provide safe equipment and that die accident control program place particular emphasis on safe placement and use of that equipment Dress racks and stock trucks should be re moved from the sales area and returned to the stock room as soon as they have been emptied All electrical wiring and extension cords for store machines, displays, special decorations, and the like should be designed so as not to lie on the floor Where necessary, wires or cords may be installed in low-profile channels A high percentage of falls is caused by low-profile stock left m aisles Stock should be kept m large piles while employees are filling shelves or stock drawers, or dressing a display Stock containers, such as baskets, boxes, bags, trays, and cartons, must be removed from the aisles immediately after they have been emptied Poor housekeeping accounts for one-third or more of all customer falls Each employee should be made to realize that it is part of his or her responsibility to maintain good housekeeping m his work area, to report promptly unsafe floor conditions, such as tears in carpets and holes in the floors He should wipe up spills immediately, or else barricade them until the hazard can be removed A special warning sign can be used (see Fig 22-4) Floor coverings and mats Reduce the possibility of slips and falls by using good carpeting, bound edging, and flush floor-level mats and runners (see Fig 22-6) If material such as an extruded metal runner is used to provide self-cleaning removal of snow, ice, or mud at entryways, it should be flush and not present a tripping hazard Care also in the use of rubber mats, rug runners, and the like must be taken to prevent them from becoming tupping hazards Oftentimes the edges become rumpled (Fig 22-2), comers and ends are tom or do not he flat and excess wear can cause tears Mats and 580