Keeping Children Safe from Slip and Falls: Essential Tips for Homes and Schools

Children fall. It comes with learning to walk, and most of the time a small bump is nothing to worry about. But some slips lead to real injuries, and those are worth preventing. I’m a father to three young, energetic boys, and at Walkway Management we spend our days helping schools and families lower the risk of slip and fall accidents. Below are the places where children slip most often, along with practical ways to keep them on their feet.

Common areas for slips and falls

Schools

• Restrooms: When children wash their hands, a lot of water ends up on the floor. Traction treatments or mats help keep these wet floors safer.
• Cafeterias: Food and drinks get spilled at every meal. Regular cleaning and non-slip flooring treatments keep things under control.
• Playgrounds: Smooth surfaces are fine until they get wet. Proper drainage and non-slip treatments help keep these areas from turning slick after rain.
• Hallways: Water and dirt tracked in from outside make the floor slippery. Traction treatments help in high-traffic areas, as long as the right product is matched to the floor and confirmed by before-and-after wet testing; no coating is inherently non-slip.

Homes

• Bathrooms: Soapy residue and water make getting in and out of the tub easy to slip on. Anti-slip tapes or coatings reduce that risk.
• Stairs and Hallways: Children run indoors, and stairs and smooth hallways are where a run can turn into a fall. Anti-slip treatments on stairs and in hallways help.
• Pool Decks: Pool areas should be fun and safe. Traction treatments around pools, on pool stairs and entry ramps reduce slip risk around water. Because these are wet, barefoot areas, verify them with wet pendulum testing (Slider 55); no coating can guarantee that no one will fall.

Implementing slip-resistant flooring

You can’t prevent every fall, but a few steps make serious injuries much less likely. Here is where we start:

• Apply Traction Treatments: We apply traction treatments in high-risk areas like bathrooms, kitchens, hallways and playgrounds, then confirm the effect with before-and-after wet testing.
• Regular Maintenance: Keep floors clean and dry, especially where spills and tracked-in water are common.
• Educate and Supervise: Teach children to walk carefully in wet or busy areas, and supervise them so the habit sticks.

Conclusion

At Walkway Management, we help you keep children safe at home and at school. By addressing the places where slips and falls happen and using practical solutions like traction treatments and regular maintenance, we can lower the risk of accidents. To learn more about our services and products, visit our website or contact us.

For more details about our slip and fall prevention services, get in touch. We’re glad to help create safer spaces for children to grow and play.

Get a free quote or call 1-833-DIAL-WMG to have your floors tested.