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er passage, foot traffic and room setup. It also helps to standardize the arrange-
ment of your ORs as much as possible. Set up rooms that are used for the same
procedures in the same way. That way staff will know exactly where equipment
is placed — no matter what room they're in — how to get to it, and how to
avoid potential hazards.
• Corral cords. Managing cords and cables is a huge challenge, but a critical
step in maintaining safer OR floors. They should be bundled and consolidated,
either with commercially available or homemade containers, whenever possible.
If the spaghetti must be underfoot, route it through the areas that see the least
traffic. If a frequently traveled path is unavoidable, place an anti-fatigue mat on
top of it during a case. Power stands or other pole-mounted outlet options do a
good job of keeping cords off the floor and offer the centralized, close-by power
ability of an equipment boom without the need for extensive installation.
• Manage fluid waste. Don't neglect the fluid on the floor, especially if your
ORs host arthroscopies or other fluid-heavy cases. Spills and slicks must be
cleaned up promptly, if they're allowed to form at all. Drapes with fluid collection
pockets and absorbent or suction floor mats help to prevent floors from getting
wet, while floor-based and mobile direct-to-drain suction devices can dispose of
runoff before you've even retrieved a microfiber mop.
• Light the way. Adequate lighting is also essential for making pathways and
safety hazards visible. When the lights are dimmed for laparoscopic, endoscopic
and other video-image-driven procedures, supplemental illumination such as
portable or ambient lights can help staff, especially those who enter mid-case,
find their footing.
• Discuss the dangers. You can't eliminate all the slip, trip and fall risks in
the surgical workplace. And you can't train people not to fall. But you can
train them to be more aware of their surroundings, and to make safety-minded
behaviors part of their daily routines. An awareness of their surroundings
should be second nature in order to anticipate and prevent slip, trip and fall
accidents. Increasing their awareness of the risk they face simply by walking
