A stairway audit

A surprise stairway safety audit was conducted by the East Building Office Safety Team on Tuesday morning, June 9th, from 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. The intent was to raise awareness of stairway safety and to mitigate accidents on the stairways that lead from the parking lot to the East Building entrance.

The results of the audit revealed that 35 percent of our employees use the stairway hand rails when arriving for work. Of the total 128 people who were observed using the parking lot stairway, only 45 used the hand rail, which means 83 of our co-workers neglected to use appropriate hand rail safety. A gender breakdown revealed that 69 percent of those who used the hand rail were female. One other notable observation: one employee was carrying two bags and a cup of coffee and still managed to use the hand rail.

Everyone who entered the building through the main doors during the audit received a “Steps for Stair Safety” handout. Those who demonstrated proper hand-rail safety on the main stairway from the parking lot were given a ticket for a chance to win a S- Café meal voucher valued up to $10. The voucher winners are:

K- C-, D- C-, M- F-, M- H-, D- H-, D- H-, J- H-, A- H-, S- L-, and R- V-.

The East Building office safety team wants to thank all of those who demonstrate stairway safety. It serves as an important reminder to keep our sights on Target Zero as we focus on “Falls at Work” during our National Safety Month celebration.

Sidebar: Facts from the stairway safety audit:
We observed 128 people using the parking lot stairway from 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. Bottom line: 35 percent used the handrail and 65 percent did not.

6:30am to 7:30am

62 people used stairway: 15 used handrail, 47 did not. Those that used handrail: 8 male, 7 female

7:30am to 8:30am

66 people used stairway: 30 used handrail, 36 did not. Those that used handrail: 6 male, 24 female

Grand Total

128 people used stairway: 45 used handrail, 83 did not. Those that used handrail: 14 male, 31 female

Comments

“It’s dirty”

“Not without gloves”

“Nice gesture”

“Do another surprise audit in the middle of the day or at lunch time.”

“(This) was very well done. I was pleasantly surprised”

Notables

One employee was very rude and refused the handout.

Bad example: an employee bounded down the stairs two at a time without holding hand rail.

Good example: an employee with two bags and a cup of coffee still used the hand rail.

Many people were surprised when they entered the foyer because they could not see the team observing them from that area. Those that were recognized for using good safety by using the handrails were noticeably pleased.

Submitted by – Greg