Let’s Build a SSTF Free Environment!

Abstract Description

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Authors (including presenting author) :

YAU WK(1), CHAN Y(1), SIN YC(1)

Affiliation :

(1)Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Team, Kowloon East Cluster (KEC)

Introduction :

Strike, Slip, Trip and Fall (SSTF) injuries ranked top 1 in KEC since 2012. The major factors leading to these injuries were related to environmental factors and insufficient staff awareness. On top of providing 5S and Behavior Based Safety training to equip colleagues with skills in maintaining good housekeeping and safe behavior, KEC has formed a cluster SSTF working group in late 2017 to study the causes of related injuries with recommended improvement measures.

Objectives :

To reduce staff injury rate arising from SSTF; To enhance colleagues’ awareness on SSTF safety

Methodology :

Based on the causative analysis of previous injuries, a series of initiatives were implemented in Jan 2018, including: -Designated SSTF Checklist in Jan.2018: environmental checklists based on hospitals’ IOD cases and environments had been tailor-made for proper risk assessment with corresponding control measures, such as providing additional lighting in dim areas and adding anti-slip strips on staircases in each hospital to reduce injuries arising from environmental factors. -Kick-off Ceremony for Prevention and Management of SSTF in Sept.2018: Senior management, unit managers and departments’ OSH personnel were invited to participate in the ceremony and sign a charter to show their commitment and support to build and maintain an incident -free working environment. -Safety talks to frontline supervisors in Oct.2018: Causes and preventive measures of SSTF incidents, and practical tips were shared with supervisors to better manage workplace safety. -Roadshows and game booths in Oct.-Nov. 2018: Games and balancing tests were conducted to enhance colleagues’ awareness about SSTF risk and better understand colleagues’ agilities for future SSTF initiatives planning. -Safety talks to frontline colleagues in Nov.2018: Practical tips and stretching exercises were shared and demonstrated to enhance their awareness and physical fitness to prevent injuries. -SSTF Quiz in Dec.2018-Jan.2019: SSTF Quiz is underway to educate and evaluate colleagues’ understanding for injury prevention.

Result & Outcome :

Average SSTF monthly injury-on-duty (IOD) rate was decreased by 15.5% (from 0.103 in 2017 (8.3cases/month) to 0.087 in 2018 (7.3cases/month)) after the implementation of the above initiatives. SSTF injuries peak at 3-4Q every year and intensive training and promotion were scheduled during this period. Average SSTF monthly IOD rate was decreased by 18% (from 0.1 in 3-4Q2017 (8.2cases/month) to 0.082 in 3-4Q2018 (7cases/month)). SSTF Working Group would review the effectiveness of the program, and plan for further strategies in order to reduce related injuries in a sustainable manner.