Slip Trip and Fall Management at Golf Courses
STF Accidents Number one (33%) type of accident among people visiting a golf course Number two type of accident for employees (material handling injuries #1 by slight margin) Information found in the Travelers Insurance claim study Safety on the Fairways 2006
What Causes STF Accidents? 10% The majority of accidents are caused by which of the following? 90% Unsafe Acts Unsafe Conditions From the National Safety Council
How Do We Prevent STF Accidents? Before (Proactively) After (Reactively)
After The Accident Action Accidents are Symptoms of Problems for Which We Must Find a Cure
Moving from What Happened to Why it Happened We need to drill down from the symptoms to the cause A simple technique is the five whys Once we know why something happened we can easily focus our efforts on something that will improve our safety effort.
Use of The 5 Why s Fact (What?) Why Question Answer Employee fell when he slipped in some water in the warehouse. Why was there water on the floor of the warehouse? Why did the pan spill over? Why was the drain clogged? The condensation overflow pan spilled over. The drain was clogged causing the overflow Algae growth over time had closed off the drain Why was the algae allow to grow so long? Why wasn t it inspected? It was never inspected It wasn t part of the monthly preventative maintenance inspection
Before The Accident Action This is where we want to be with our risk control efforts We must understand what unsafe conditions and unsafe actions cause STF accidents
Slip Trip and Fall Prevention 101 Lets focus on four primary causes of slip, trip and fall accidents: 1. Too little friction between the foot and the walking surface 2. Change of elevation 3. Impaired vision 4. Physical impairment/limitations
Too Little Friction Walking surface finish at golf courses Glossy Gritty Grassy
Too Little Friction GLOSSY Entrances, bathrooms, hallways and sometimes very smooth concrete Barely safe when dry; dangerous when wet Improper floor maintenance can contribute (soap residue, wax build-up, wrong product for the job) Golf Cart flooring and Corner Guards Watch the Armor All (or the like) Application
Too Little Friction GRITTY Broom finished concrete, paint and grit finish and carpeting Finish of walking surface generally safe even when wet Trouble begins when surface wears smooth
Too Little Friction GRASSY Tees, fairways, greens, driving ranges, entertainment lawns Not bad when dry When wet very dangerous (dew and rain) On inclines friction falls in relation to angle of surface People walk shortest path (elevated tee boxes invite walking on hills)
Change of Elevation Includes: Stairs these include outdoor and indoor stairs. Must maintain safe slip resistance (friction) Stairs need to maintain consistent riser/tread Ratio from beginning to end After three steps must have handrails The above criteria must be watched closely on any outdoor stairways because of changing conditions and deterioration
Change of Elevation Curbs include those between parking lots and sidewalks, around landscaping, along golf cart paths and near tee boxes Cuts for wheel chair access have taper and become a tripping hazard as the taper gets taller If painted with glossy paint can become very slippery
Change of Elevation Ramps Can be found at entrances to buildings when ADA requires them, at loading areas such as the kitchen and as transitions in and around buildings Same issues as floors and steps combined. Less friction due to increased angle Require handrails on open sides where falling is possible
Change of Elevation On Course Hills and Depressions especially prevalent around greens and tee boxes This is an outdoor environment but must have some reasonable care taken to repair holes that are unexpected or, because of growth, undetectable.
Impaired Vision Vision can become impaired due to personal vision problems, no contrast between walking surfaces, lack of light, too much light or glare We must provide a visual clue of a change in elevation. Contrasting colors, good lighting or some other means ADA curb cuts need to be highlighted from the beginning of the taper to the curb height.
Physical Impairments/Limitations Vision, balance, strength, maybe even common sense challenges Must consider the end users
ASSET MANAGEMENT AND PROTECTION
Start With The End In Mind (Stephen Covey) What do you want your Club to look like in the end? What do you want to see?
What do the Members/Guests want to see? Customer Comment Cards Member Surveys Daily Comments Staff Feedback
COMPETITION Where do you fit in? Market Survey/Analysis SWOT Analysis
BUDGET % or Dues? Corporate funded/plan? 1/3/5/12 - year capital?
ASSET EVALUATION Age of facility Warranties, Guarantees?
Safety Related: Parking Lot WHAT S 1 ST? Golf Carts, Beverage Units GCM Equipment Kitchen Equipment Hazards Curbs Electrical Mechanical (plumbing) Aesthetics Paint, Wall Paper, Carpet
WHAT S NEXT? Other areas that make a huge impression and over time aren t expensive to maintain Golf Course Maintenance Floors Equipment Practice Tee Cart Facility Front Entry Flower Pots Sinks Restrooms Urinals Toilet Stalls Lighting Upcoming Event Signs Frames New pictures/promotions
TO GET STARTED: Use key Members, repeat Guests, key employees as sounding boards and advice Tour your competition, hotels, or frequently visited public places with high traffic
IF IT WAS YOUR MONEY, WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
QUESTIONS? cb@pgatourhq.com 702.256.0111 ext. 225