Written by Mike Martin
Vice President, Services | CHST, CUSP
Burns are a serious workplace hazard, whether caused by fire, chemicals, electricity, or even friction. While many teams focus on high-risk hazards like concrete burns or electrical arcs, friction burns are a less obvious but surprisingly common injury, especially in construction, manufacturing, utility, and logistics settings.
Friction burns can lead to pain, lost time, and even infection if not treated properly. This type of burn can be caused by many scenarios, including a slip on pavement, contact with moving ropes, or kneeling on carpeted surfaces. Here’s what you need to know about what they are, how to treat them, and—most importantly—how to prevent them.
What is a Friction Burn?
A friction burn occurs when skin rubs against a rough surface with enough force to scrape away layers of tissue. It’s a combination of abrasion (scraping) and thermal burn (heat generated by friction). In many workplace environments, this type of injury is often underestimated, but it can be painful, prone to infection, and in some cases, disabling.
Friction burns are sometimes classified based on the type of surface or contact that caused them. Here are different examples of friction burns:
- Road rash
- Rope burn
- Carpet burn (also known as rug burn)
How Do You Treat a Friction Burn on Skin?
Treating a friction burn depends on its severity. In the workplace, your first step should be to use a stocked and accessible first aid kit. Here’s how to approach care:
- Clean the wound gently with mild soap and water to remove any debris.
- Apply an antibiotic ointment to reduce infection risk.
- Cover the area with a sterile, non-stick bandage to protect the burn.
If the injury involves a friction burn blister, avoid popping it—this increases the risk of infection. Instead, pad it with gauze and monitor for signs of worsening.
When to seek medical attention:
If the burn is deep, covers a large area, involves the face or joints, or shows signs of infection (redness, swelling, pus, or worsening pain), it’s time to bring in a medical professional. Workplace safety policies should always support early intervention over wait-and-see approaches.
How Long Does a Friction Burn Take to Heal?
The healing timeline for a friction burn depends on the depth of the injury and how well it’s treated. According to the American Burn Association, mild friction burns usually heal within 7 to 10 days, while deeper burns may take 2 to 3 weeks.
You can speed up healing by keeping the wound clean, moist, and protected from further irritation. Avoid exposing healing skin to dirty surfaces, repeated contact, or sunlight, which can delay recovery.
Different Types of Friction Burn Examples
Not all friction burns are the same. The source and context of the injury can tell you a lot about how to prevent them and how they might happen in your environment.
Road Rash
Road rash is a type of friction burn caused by direct contact with pavement or gravel. In industrial or logistics settings, it can happen when a worker falls from a vehicle, slips on a loading dock, or gets caught between moving surfaces. The resulting injury can strip multiple skin layers and lead to infection if not treated properly.
Rope Burn
Rope burns are common in construction, rigging, and rescue operations where ropes are handled under tension. Fast-moving rope—especially synthetic or abrasive lines—can cause a painful burn that combines heat and abrasion. Workers handling ropes without gloves or using poor technique are most at risk.
Utilize our Safety Consultant services to help prevent this type of burn from happening to your team members or employees.
Carpet Burn
Carpet burns or rug burns may seem minor, but they’re common in settings where employees kneel, crawl, or shift their body weight across rough surfaces. While they’re often considered a nuisance injury, repeated friction in the same area can break the skin and lead to serious discomfort or infection.
How Can You Prevent Friction Burns from Happening in the Workplace?
Friction burns are preventable with the right safety measures in place. Here’s how to reduce the risk:
- Use proper PPE: Gloves, knee pads, and long-sleeved clothing reduce skin contact with abrasive surfaces.
- Train on body mechanics: Educate workers on how to handle ropes, move materials, and reposition safely.
- Maintain clean and safe surfaces: Ensure walking and working surfaces are smooth, stable, and debris-free.
- Establish safety zones: In areas where friction hazards are high (e.g., rope operation zones), limit unnecessary personnel and reinforce PPE requirements.
- Audit tasks regularly: Routine task assessments can identify friction risks before an injury happens, especially in new work environments or during high-activity periods.
Get Help with Safety Management
Friction burns may seem small, but they’re part of a larger picture—one where injury prevention, equipment readiness, and field-level training come together to create safer work environments.
At Safety Management Group, we help companies assess hazards like friction, heat, contact pressure, and more through targeted safety audits, risk assessments, and custom compliance programs. Whether you’re dealing with physical tasks, moving machinery, or ground-level hazards, we’ll help you build systems that protect your workforce from injuries, big and small.
Let’s work together to prevent friction burns before they happen—and keep your team safe, productive, and injury-free.
