ALARMING STATISTICS ABOUT SLIP-FALL ACCIDENTS

Slip-fall accidents statistics: All you need to know about the dangers, causes and prevention methods

When we generally talk about workplace incidents, we talk about two major categories of accidents: slip-fall and trip-fall accidents. Unfortunately, these kind of accidents cause 15% of all accidental deaths in the U.S.A.

Causes

The leading causes for slips, trips and falls accidents are really simple to understand and really simple to prevent. For example, slips occur when the floors or other working surfaces are slippery due to the presence of water or oils on it. Trips are caused more often by uneven floors. This may include sticking out screws and nails, floor mats, uneven carpeting, holes and bumps in the floor and stairs that are not uniform in height.

The results of slips, trips and falls accidents could be devastating. Sometimes it could end with just some minor injuries and sometime it could end with disabilities or even death.

 Statistics from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)

• Over one million Americans suffer a slip, trip and fall accidents every year;
• There are two kinds of falls: elevated falls and same-level falls;
• Same-level falls are the most common and responsible for 65% of fall-related injuries;
• The services, wholesale, and retail trade industries accounted for over 60% of injuries that resulted from same-level falls;
• The manufacturing industry alone accounted for 16% of injuries that resulted from same-level falls;
• Elevated falls cause more severe injuries than same-level falls but to a less number of people;
• Over 60% of all elevated falls are from a height of less than 10 feet;
• Spine, hip, pelvis, forearm, upper arm, hand, leg and ankle fractures are the most common bone fractures that occur because slip-fall accidents;
• About 20%-30% of people involved into a slip and fall accident will suffer moderate to severe injuries such as bruises, hip fractures or head injuries;
• Approximately 19,565 people die in the U.S. every year due to injuries caused by accidental falls;
• Slips, trips and fall injuries make up almost 20% of all job related injuries;
• Slips, trip and fall injuries cost employers approximately $40,000 per accident.

Prevention

There are simple strategies to prevent slip and fall accidents like keeping the floors clean, warning signs for wet/slippery floors and of course working surfaces, stairs and floors that are designed and maintained properly. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) gave a decree which said that employers must provide training programs for each employee who might be exposed to fall hazards.