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

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.