207217 Floor surface, shoe type, floor cleaning and risk of slipping in US limited-service restaurant workers– Preliminary results from a prospective cohort study

Wednesday, November 11, 2009: 9:30 AM

Santosh K. Verma, MBBS, MPH , Center for Injury Epidemiology, Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety, Hopkinton, MA
Wen R. Chang, PhD , Center for Physical Ergonomics, Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety, Hopkinton, MA
Theodore K. Courtney, MS, CSP , Center for Injury Epidemiology, Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety, Hopkinton, MA
David A. Lombardi, PhD , Center for Injury Epidemiology, Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety, Hopkinton, MA
Emily Huang, PhD , Center for Behavioral Sciences, Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety, Hopkinton, MA
Melanye J. Brennan, MS , Center for Injury Epidemiology, Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety, Hopkinton, MA
Murray A. Mittleman, DrPH , Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA
James Ware, PhD , Biostatistics, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA
Melissa J. Perry, ScD , Occupational Health Program, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA
Introduction

Slips and falls are the leading cause of injury among restaurant workers in the U.S. This study examined the association between floor surface characteristics, shoe type, floor cleaning and the risk of slipping in limited-service restaurant workers.

Method

362 workers from 32 limited-service restaurants in five states were recruited to participate in a 12-week cohort study of workplace slipping. At baseline, demographic information and use of slip-resistant shoes for each worker was collected. Restaurant managers reported about the frequency of daily kitchen floor cleaning. Kitchen floor surface roughness and coefficient of friction (COF) were measured in nine floor areas and then averaged within each restaurant. In the following twelve weeks, participants reported their slip experience weekly. The associations between rate of slipping and risk factors were assessed using a negative binomial generalized estimating equation model.

Results

Mean age of participants was 31 years and 67% were females. Sixty-three percent of participants wore slip-resistant shoes. The average rate of slipping was 0.37 slips per 40-workhours. After adjusting for relevant confounders, use of slip-resistant shoes was associated with a 52% reduction in the reported rate of slipping (95%CI 33%-66%) and the rate of slipping decreased by 19% (95%CI 4%-31%) for each 0.1 increase in the mean kitchen COF (range 0.44-0.85).

Conclusion

The underlying rate of slipping in limited-service restaurants is high enough to enable the collection of risk estimates using a 12-week prospective study design. Preliminary results suggest the use of slip-resistant shoes and measures to increase COF as preventive interventions.

Learning Objectives:
1. Describe epidemiology of slipping in limited-service restaurant workers 2. Indentify risk factors for slipping in limited-service restaurant workers

Keywords: Occupational Safety, Risk Factors

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am a doctoral student and the abstract is part of my dissertation project.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.