Falls are common, costly, and preventable, yet in 2019, 880 workers died in falls and 244,000 were injured badly enough to require days off of work. This presentation will review current research on how falls happen, and how to prevent slips, trips, and falls. Learners will explore how to identify hazards, create a fall risk awareness program, and how to implement strategies to reduce hazards.
Andrew S. Merryweather is director of the Ergonomics and Safety Program at the University of Utah and Associate Professor in the department of Mechanical Engineering and adjunct associate professor in the departments of Family and Preventative Medicine and Physical Therapy and Athletic Training. He teaches and directs research in the areas of ergonomics, biomechanics, human factors, musculoskeletal injury prevention and human-system modeling. Dr. Merryweather obtained his Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Utah in 2008 as a NIOSH Trainee in Occupational Injury Prevention. Dr. Merryweather has managed significant research projects investigating patient falls, footwear and musculoskeletal injuries, assistive technologies for persons with disabilities, adaptive technology development, robotics and human-system engineering.
