Ever since centers began recording slips, trips and falls, these incidents have remained the single most frequent cause of injury at NASA. Across the United States, slips, trips and falls are the leading cause of emergency room visits with more than 8 million cases per year, and, perhaps more surprisingly, they are the second leading cause of accidental deaths. Injuries sustained from a slip, trip or fall can lead to a lifetime of pain, not to mention the medical costs and lost productivity.

Kennedy Space Center (KSC) has developed a novel, highly effective approach to prevent injuries and close calls caused by slips, trips and falls, regardless of external hazards. The approach augments traditional efforts to maintain safe work areas and walking surfaces with specially designed balance workout areas called “Balance Zones.” Backed by classroom training and guest speakers, Balance Zones offer a new and interesting way for KSC employees to improve their overall balance and reaction to hazards.

Sharing these types of innovative initiatives across all NASA centers is another way we can work together to reduce injuries from slips, trips and falls.

The NASA Safety Center (NSC) has produced two campaigns to help raise agency awareness of slips, trips and falls, including an article and videos highlighting KSC's outstanding efforts.