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Father's Day is June 17, 2012
"Slips and Falls Prevention for Hospitals..."
Just as there is no one medicine or treatment that's good for all diseases there's no one ice traction device that's best to reduce slips and falls on ice and other slippery conditions for employees performing different functions at the hospital. In fact choosing the wrong traction devices may increase the chance of slips and falls and lost time accidents.
This page shows recommended ice cleats and slip resistant footwear for hospital personnel. If you have any question please call me at 610-570-2549 for free expert advice.
Click the following links for recommendations for the following categories of hospital personnel...
They're excellent for traction on ice and packed snow
They're low cost
Yaktrax won't damage most floors
They're probably the best for fitting over the most types of shoes and boots and most forgiving for a particular size fitting a greater range of shoe sizes.
The disadvantages of Yaktrax Walker are...
You shouldn't drive with them on your shoes.
Employees must remove them before going indoors where there is a smooth, non icy surface. I'm talking about floors that are found in supermarkets, lobbies, whatever.
So you would definitely need a throw rug and a place for employees to sit to remove and put on their Yaktrax where they enter or exit the building.
Yaktrax are also slippery on smooth, non-icy or non-snowy exterior surfaces like marble or when stepping off the curb on to sewer grates which are seldom ice or snow covered.
Yaktrax are not helpful in deep snow or slush.
Durability becomes an issue when they are used frequently and the wire coils of the bottom are not replaceable.
Spare Spike Ice Cleats are an alternative to the Yaktrax Walker. I haven't had as much personal experience with these but the feedback has been excellent.
The advantages of Spare Spike Ice Cleats include...
Durability
I would fully expect a pair of Spare Spikes to last a typical user two years as opposed to an average of one year for Yaktrax.
Spikes can be replaced and are inexpensive
They stay on most shoes and boots better than Yaktrax if you have to walk through deeper... particularly wet... snow.
The aggressive tread is good for traction in deeper snow.
You can drive while wearing them.
The disadvantages of Spare Spike Ice Cleats are...
The more aggressive spike they will damage floors and must be removed before going indoors.
They are less adaptive at fitting different kinds of shoes and boots because of the way the front barrel fits over footwear.
Grip-X are literally industrial strength ice cleats that will stand up to outdoor snow and ice removal and other outdoor winter work activities.
The 2mm tungsten carbide cleats and aggressive tread design give you excellent traction on ice, packed snow, deep snow, slush and good traction in mud.
Shuttle drivers or any employees who are constantly going in and out of doors should consider a product called Altragrips-Lite Low Profile Ice Cleats. Here's why...
Unique advantages of AltraGrips Lite Low Profile Ice Cleats...
AltraGrips Lite Low Profile Ice Cleats are excellent on ice, packed snow, deep snow and slush.
It's safe to drive with them.
Unlike any other ice and snow traction devices I'm aware of… you don't have to take them off when you go indoors and they actually improve traction on wet, smooth floors over regular shoes and boots.
This is also the product of choice to prevent slips and falls in walk-in freezers.
Disadvantages...
The only disadvantage is that the spikes are not replaceable. But the studs are tungsten carbide and extremely long lasting. I used these exclusively last winter for testing purposes and I have no visible wear to date on the spikes. I have blind customer who has been using them to walk about two miles each day and he tells me he has no appreciable wear.
This is a product staff in the ophthalmology department and rehab departments might want to know about for possible recommendation to their patients.
Consider a product called Spiderz for slip and fall prevention in food preparation areas.
Spiderz stretch over your employee's regular shoes. You don't wind up having to buy expensive slip resistant shoes. And when they're done working they simply take them off and leave them at work so they can be shared by different shifts, they can be shared between shifts, and they can't forget them.
Since they never leave the food preparation area employees can't forget their slip resistant shoes. That may or not apply to your situation.
Personnel who are constantly going in and out of walk in freezers should use AltraGrips Lite Low Profile Ice Cleats because you don't have to constantly being putting them on and taking them off your shoes.
Consider Grippers for Strippers slip resistant overshoes for preventing slips and falls for the janitorial stall. These are great for soapy or wet floors and floors made slippery by stripping agents.
Grippers for Strippers Lite use the same effective slip resistant material on the soles but with less expensive and less durable latex uppers instead of the PVC used on the regular Grippers for Strippers.
