{"id":63564,"date":"2020-01-28T11:05:01","date_gmt":"2020-01-28T16:05:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/?p=63564"},"modified":"2020-01-28T16:07:13","modified_gmt":"2020-01-28T21:07:13","slug":"safety-cones-signs-to-help-mitigate-slips-and-falls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/2020\/01\/safety-cones-signs-to-help-mitigate-slips-and-falls\/","title":{"rendered":"Safety cones, signs to help mitigate slips and falls"},"content":{"rendered":"

We\u2019ve all seen it happen: a freshly ordered coffee falls from someone\u2019s hand, tumbles to the ground and <\/span>explodes open \u2014 splattering hot liquid everywhere and <\/span>creat<\/span>ing<\/span> a slip-and-slide puddle in one of the busiest areas of campus.<\/span><\/p>\n

What happens next is a common occurrence: <\/span>onlookers <\/span>stare at the scene, partly feeling sorry for the person whose coffee spilt and mostly unsure of what to do next. Some people might <\/span>inform <\/span>an employee about the spill. Others may grab a bunch of napkins to sop up the mess themselves. Those in a hurry may do nothing, assuming someone else will eventually clean it up.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

To help clarify how faculty, staff and students can help with indoor spills and other common slip and fall hazards, <\/span>Brock University\u2019s Office of <\/span>Health, Safety <\/span>and<\/span> Wellness recently collaborated with Facilities Management and University Marketing and Communications to develop signage and obtain quick-access pop-up safety cones. <\/span>The new s<\/span>igns and cones will be installed across campus by Facilities Management <\/span>in the coming weeks <\/span>\u2014 most at high-traffic food and drink areas.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The signs read, \u201cSee a spill? Mark it with a pop-up safety cone. Call 905-688-5550 x3717 for clean-up.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Brian <\/span>Dzurban<\/span>, Occupational Health and Safety Specialist, hopes the <\/span>initiative <\/span>will lead to quicker clean-up response times and, ultimately, a reduction in the number of slips, trips and falls, which are the most-reported health and safety incidents on campus.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“Placing a pop-up safety cone near <\/span>an unsafe slip and fall hazard<\/span>, such as a coffee spill, is a quick and easy way to help others avoid injury,\u201d said <\/span>Dzurban<\/span>. \u201cMost of us carry cell phones, so\\ having a contact number posted nearby also makes it easy for people to appropriately report the spill to Facilities Management.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The first of nine cone and sign pairs was installed last week in Thistle Complex East next to the water bottle filling station across the hall from the full-service Tim Hortons. <\/span>Other locations include:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n