The Postal Service is launching a national campaign to raise employee awareness of job-related injuries caused by slips, trips and falls.
National Slip, Trip and Fall Prevention Week will run from Oct. 17-23. The organization ran a similar effort last year.
A total of 17,534 USPS employees were affected by slip, trip and fall injuries last year. At least 60 percent of these incidents occurred during the autumn and winter months.
The top three causes for the injuries were uneven ground (26 percent), stairs (19 percent) and icy or wet surfaces (16 percent).
“Slips, trips and falls are preventable — and we all have a role to play. Simple actions like reporting hazards and increasing awareness of your surroundings can protect and prevent against a slip, trip or fall,” said Linda DeCarlo, the Postal Service’s occupational health and safety services senior director.
The campaign will provide employees with safety tips and other information to help them prevent slip, trip and fall accidents.
Postmasters, managers and supervisors will be provided with tools to help increase employee awareness and prevention of fall incidents.
Additionally, the campaign will emphasize the role customers play in preventing carrier injuries by, for instance, clearing surrounding ice, snow and other hazards from mailboxes.
The National Slip, Trip and Fall Prevention Week Sharepoint page has more information, including Safety Depends on Me videos, stand-up talks and more.
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