Workplace fall prevention through slip recovery training

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The long-term goal of this work is to help substantially reduce the number of falls and fall-related injuries in the workplace by developing and implementing a novel, low-cost balance training intervention for workers. Our focus is on slip-induced falls because they cause a large percentage of falls in many occupational sectors. Two specific aims are proposed. The first aim will evaluate the feasibility of on-site slip recovery training among workers in construction, food service, housekeeping, and water distribution. The second aim will evaluate the validity of field assessments of balance by determining their strength of association with established lab- based measures of balance. These field assessments of balance will be used to evaluate the efficacy of slip recovery training in a subsequent trial. This project addresses multiple NORA Sectors (e.g. Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing; Construction; Mining; Services; Wholesale and Retail Trade), and the Cross-Sector of Traumatic Injury Prevention. This research also addresses the NIOSH Strategic Goal 6: Improve workplace safety to reduce traumatic injuries, and NIOSH intermediate goals: 6.2 Falls; 6.13 Falls; 6.16 Falls; 6.18 Slips, trips, and falls. The project will also address the NIOSH r2p initiative by collaborating with workers and management in industry on a novel, lower-cost slip and fall prevention intervention. Outputs of this work will include 2-4 publications and conference presentations. Intermediate outcomes are expected to be citations in the literature (which indicate the application of knowledge from this work), training offered to companies by the investigators on slip recovery training, and the adoption of this training by companies. The end outcome is expected to be a reduction in workplace slips and falls through implementation of the intervention developed here.