Slip and fall injuries are among the most common and most preventable workplace accidents. For nonprofit organizations, where every dollar and every employee matter, preventing these injuries protects not only your team but also your mission.
Slips, trips, and falls cause thousands of workplace injuries each year, leading to lost workdays, increased insurance costs, and sometimes permanent disability. For nonprofits, an injured employee can mean interrupted services, strained budgets, and a ripple effect on the community you serve.
Even simple hazards, such as a wet lobby floor after a rainstorm or a power cord across a hallway, can result in a serious incident.
Common Risk Areas
While every nonprofit’s environment is unique, certain hazards are consistent across offices, community centers, and program sites:
- Entryways: Rain, snow, and dirt tracked in from outdoors make entrance mats essential.
- Kitchens and Breakrooms: Spills and cluttered walkways are frequent culprits.
- Restrooms: Water on the floor or poor lighting can quickly create risk.
- Storage and Supply Areas: Overloaded shelves or obstructed pathways increase trip hazards.
- Outdoor Walkways and Parking Lots: Uneven pavement, poor lighting, and weather conditions contribute to slips and falls year-round.
Prevention Best Practices
What intentional steps can you take on your own worksite?
- Maintain Clear Walkways
Keep hallways, stairs, and exits free of clutter. Train staff and volunteers to report or correct hazards immediately. - Inspect Regularly
Assign routine inspections of high-traffic areas, including outdoor walkways. A quick daily five-minute check can prevent major injuries. - Use Proper Signage
Clearly mark wet floors or temporary hazards with caution signs. - Ensure Adequate Lighting
Replace burned-out bulbs promptly, especially in stairwells, entrances, and parking areas. - Invest in Good Flooring and Mats
Use non-slip mats or floor coatings in areas prone to moisture or spills. - Promote Proper Footwear
Encourage employees and volunteers to wear shoes with good traction, especially if their work involves moving between indoor and outdoor spaces. - Train Staff and Volunteers
Regular safety briefings reinforce awareness. Include slip, trip, and fall prevention in onboarding and annual training.
Creating a Culture of Safety
A strong safety culture begins with leadership support. Leaders should model awareness by addressing hazards promptly, encouraging open communication, and recognizing staff who help maintain a safe environment. Small changes, such as adding anti-slip mats or organizing a monthly safety walk, can go a long way toward showing that leadership recognizes safety as a priority.
For nonprofits, people are your greatest asset. Taking time to identify and address slip and fall hazards helps ensure your team stays healthy, your programs stay strong, and your mission continues without interruption.
Stay Up to Date with our Services Safety Training Site
The Safety Training Video Library, available through our partnership with Light Duty Pathway, has been enhanced. These updates make it even easier for nonprofit managers and employees to access and manage safety resources. Managers can now turn the “Buy Seats” feature on or off, view seat overviews on the new Team Management Page, and generate time reports as downloadable PDFs. The update also allows managers to delete employee accounts, download individual employee details, and view an improved seat counter. In addition, more user interface elements are now available in Spanish.
If you haven’t explored the safety library yet, visit lightdutypathway.com/501c-vid and enter the code 501c-vid for free access to more than 70 safety and wellness training topics.
About Us
For more than 40 years, 501(c) Services has been a leader in offering solutions for unemployment costs, claims management, and HR support to nonprofit organizations. Two of our most popular programs are the 501(c) Agencies Trust and 501(c) HR Services. We understand the importance of compliance and accuracy and are committed to providing our clients with customized plans that fit their needs.
Contact us today to see if your organization could benefit from our services.
The information contained in this article is not a substitute for legal advice or counsel and has been pulled from multiple sources. Some information was provided by our friend, Janee Cantu, President, at Integrated Claims Management (ICM).
(Images by: Jo Freepik and Freepik)
