Packing House Slips, Trips & Falls
Introduction – epidemiology
There are no published studies looking specifically at slips, trips and falls in fruit packing, however, this hazard is widely reported, and has been documented in a wide range of other food processing operations While these types of falls are generally less serious than falls from a height, they often lead to serious disability and long recovery times, particularly among older workers. As with other kinds of traumatic injury, the unique aspect for farmworker patients is the context in which they occur, and the likelihood for recurrence if work environments and practices are not modified.
The clinician has an important role in making the farmworker patient aware of the range of contributing factors to slips, trips and falls, and to assist him/her in considering what factors might reasonably be altered to prevent re-injury. In addition, an injured worker may be more vulnerable to future injury.
The WORKSITE VISIT section of this website is designed to assist the clinician understand the activities involved in the farmworker patient’s work. After an occupational injury occurs, it may be helpful to review the patients work task videos to discuss how the injury occurred, and how it may be prevented in the future.
In order to assist farmworker patients in thinking through all of the factors that contribute to injury on farm, we can use the following three-part model from injury epidemiology. This model divides injury causes into three broad categories: characteristics of the victim, characteristics of the thing that injured him/or her, and the characteristics of the physical and social environment. Using this model, we can think about a wide range of factors commonly involved in falls and other traumatic injury. The purpose of this is to help patients understand the multiple factors that contribute to injury, and to consider which things over which they may feel they have some control.
Factors Contributing to slips, trips and other ground-level falls
| Common victim characteristics | Injury sources and their characteristics | Work environment characteristics |
|---|---|---|
| Victim characteristics | Tripping can occur when source is placed in a new location | Long work hours with little or no break time |
| Improper footwear | Spills; wet and/or slippery surfaces | Areas with poor lighting |
| Fatigue | Steep or unsafe stairway surface | Poor housekeeping, including objects left out on floors, stairs, or in walking areas |
| Previous injury or illness | Uneven or rough walkways or floors | Loading docks and drop-off areas |
| Lack of knowledge of how to do the job | Places where ice accumulates | Fields and orchards (uneven, slipper) |
| Not accustomed to climate | Tripping can occur when source is placed in a new location | Poor relationship with manager and/or poor communication |
| Victim characteristics | Spills; wet and/or slippery surfaces | Long work hours with little or no break time |
Farmworker diagnosis and treatment links:
- Treatment and return to work, by M Rowland, Migrant Clinicians Network. (Go to page 7).
- Workers compensation, by S Davis, Migrant Health Newsline.