Walking Safety

Why is walking safety important?

There is often a tendency to overlook hazards in familiar work settings, which can lead to having an accident. If you are not paying attention to your surroundings, the simple task of walking can lead to disastrous results.

How can I prevent accidents when walking?

As with any workplace hazard, a careful evaluation of the work area to assess the hazards is an important first precaution. It is important to be aware of walking at home and at working areas.

Check your environment

• Adjust your walk: Walk with your feet pointed slightly outward and make wide turns at corners.
• Clear walking areas: Keep walking areas clear from clutter or obstructions. Keep flooring in good condition and make sure that the area is dry and clear of any slippery substance.
• Check the stairways: Check the condition of the steps and landings, uneven stair heights, and obstacles and uneven surfaces around both sides of the door to stairway.
• Practice your route: Adjust your stride to a pace that is suitable for the walking surface and the tasks you are doing. Walk to the route you will be following when transporting materials. Look for uneven surfaces, trip hazards, objects you need to maneuver around, foot traffic, or any other obstacle.

Ensure full visibility

• Check for adequate lighting: Always use installed light sources that provide sufficient light for your tasks. Slip, trip, and fall protections can be as simple as using a flashlight to see where you are walking to elaborate harness systems for working on the derrick.
• Fix your blind spots: If you can’t see it, you can’t avoid tripping over it. Have your eyesight and eyeglasses checked regularly. Adequate lighting to ensure proper vision is also important in the prevention of slips and falls. Moving from light to dark areas, or vice versa, can cause temporary vision problems that might be just enough to cause a person to slip on an oil spill or trip over a misplaced object.
• Avoid carrying objects: Carrying an oversized object can also obstruct one's vision and result in a slip or a trip. This is a particularly serious problem on stairs.
• Stay visible: Wear bright or reflective clothing. If walking outside with cloudy conditions or at night, it is important to put on a high-visibility outer layer. Stay along paths and trails, paying attention to signs and lights at cross walks or along the way. Always assume people and drivers can’t see you.

Pay attention to your surroundings

• Avoid using your phone: The easy solution is to not use your phone at all while walking. Focus on getting from point A to point B in one piece, then check your phone once you’ve safely arrived. If you must check your phone, hold it up higher to your visual field so you can see any potential risks as they come.
• Take frequent breaks: If you are looking at your phone while walking, look up every few seconds to assess your surroundings to help increase your safety. Stop and “pull over” out of the walking path to check your phone. Be courteous to those around you.
• Avoid noise-cancelling headphones: Make sure the volume in your headphones/earphones is at a reasonable level or keep one earbud in so you can still hear any potential dangers and alerts before they become an issue.
• Take your time: Practice mindfulness and focus on the present. Pay attention to where you are going instead of being lost in your thoughts. Avoid being distracted while you are walking.
• Using elevators: Pay attention before entering elevators. The floor of the elevator may not be even with the floor of the corridor.