Center for Injury Epidemiology, Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety, Hopkinton, Massachusetts 01748, USA.
Inj Prev. 2010 Feb;16(1):36-41. doi: 10.1136/ip.2009.022749.
Slips, trips and falls (STF) are responsible for a substantial injury burden in the global workplace. Restaurant environments are challenged by STF. This study assessed individual and work environment factors related to slipping in US limited-service restaurant workers.
Workers in 10 limited-service restaurants in Massachusetts were recruited to participate. Workers' occupational slip and/or fall history within the past 4 weeks was collected by multilingual written questionnaires. Age, gender, job tenure, work hours per week and work shift were also collected. Shoe type, condition and gross shoe contamination were visually assessed. Floor friction was measured and each restaurant's overall mean coefficient of friction (COF) was calculated. The logistic generalised estimating equations model was used to compute adjusted odds ratios (OR).
Of 125 workers, 42 reported one or more slips in the past 4 weeks with two reporting a resultant fall. Results from multivariable regression showed that higher restaurant mean COF was significantly associated with a decreased risk of self-reported slipping (OR 0.59, 95% CI 0.42 to 0.82). From the highest to the lowest COF restaurant, the odds of a positive slip history increased by a factor of more than seven. Younger age, male gender, lower weekly work hours and the presence of gross contamination on worker's shoe sole were also associated with increased odds of slip history.
Published findings of an association between friction and slipping and falling in actual work environments are rare. The findings suggest that effective intervention strategies to reduce the risk of slips and falls in restaurant workers could include increasing COF and improving housekeeping practices.
滑倒、绊倒和跌倒（STF）是全球工作场所造成大量伤害的原因。餐厅环境受到 STF 的挑战。本研究评估了与美国快餐服务餐厅工人滑倒相关的个体和工作环境因素。
马萨诸塞州 10 家快餐服务餐厅的工人被招募参与研究。通过多语言书面问卷收集工人在过去 4 周内的职业滑倒和/或跌倒史。还收集了年龄、性别、工作年限、每周工作时间和工作班次。对鞋类的类型、状况和总体鞋类污染进行了目视评估。测量了地板摩擦系数，计算了每个餐厅的总体平均摩擦系数（COF）。使用逻辑广义估计方程模型计算调整后的优势比（OR）。
在 125 名工人中，有 42 名报告在过去 4 周内发生了一次或多次滑倒，其中 2 名报告因此摔倒。多变量回归结果表明，餐厅平均 COF 较高与自我报告的滑倒风险降低显著相关（OR 0.59，95%CI 0.42 至 0.82）。从 COF 最高的餐厅到最低的餐厅，发生阳性滑倒史的几率增加了七倍以上。年龄较小、男性、每周工作时间较短以及工人鞋底有明显污染与较高的滑倒史几率相关。
在实际工作环境中，摩擦力与滑倒和跌倒之间存在关联的研究结果罕见。研究结果表明，为降低餐厅工人滑倒和跌倒的风险，可采取增加 COF 和改善卫生清洁措施等有效干预策略。
