Preventable causes of slip-and-falls

On Behalf of | Jun 9, 2020 | Personal injury

A slip-and-fall may be one of the most neglected reasons for major personal injuries. The consequences of even a minor fall can call for major surgery, and permanent limping or other deficiency. It only takes a few moments to act to prevent these accidents, so what are the causes?

Each year, slip-and-falls accidents result in 30,000 deaths in older adults. Many of these accidents may have been preventable, with a bit of effort. Here are some of the most common causes of these falls, and how you can prevent them:

Nursing Homes

Failure of a nursing home to properly restrain and monitor patients who are fall risks.

Wet surfaces

Spills can easily cause someone of any age to lose their footing and fall onto something that causes serious harm. Keeping floors and stairwells dry can prevent falls. If a spill takes additional time to dry, set up boundaries to prevent people from going into the wet area if possible, and use proper signage to alert others of the hazard ahead.

Icy or snowy pavement or sidewalks

As tedious as it may be to shovel snow and lay down salt on sidewalks, it is necessary to keep walkways safe. Ice can be especially hard to see at night, or when the snow has covered it, making it a more significant threat to anyone walking through the area.

Broken stairways or stairways with unsafe railings

Loose or broken steps on a stairway become a hidden trap for people walking on them. Handrails can also be dangerous when they are free, easily catch clothing or bags, or are not there. If you spot these possible threats, prevent anyone from using the staircase until you can repair it. If the stairway must be available, consider marking the hazards instead.

Unsecured carpet or rug

When carpeting or rugs have edges or corners that stand up, even a little, they can cause someone to trip. For some elders, any rug might be enough to rip them. Consider the types of people that may come through an area with this flooring. If the rug or carpet would be a threat, replace the decoration, or even removing them entirely.

Improper lighting accidents

Poor lighting can keep someone from spotting trip hazards before falling over them. If a light bulb needs replacing, do not wait to swap it out for one that provides necessary light. If the lighting in an area is dim, even with the lights fully functional, replace the lights with ones that can keep the area safe.

There are many ways in which a slip and fall can happen. Keep an eye out for ways that they can occur to avoid serious injury.