FACTS
- Spills, ice, snow, rain, loose mats, rugs, and stepladders are some of the common causes of slips, trips, and falls.
- Poor lighting and clutter can cause injuries such as sprains, strains, bruises, bumps, fractures, scratches, and cuts.
- The three leading causes of work-related injuries treated in an emergency department were contact with objects and equipment, overexertion and bodily reaction, and falls, slips and trips without a fall.
- A worker doesn’t have fall from a high level to suffer fatal injuries. Construction workers are most at risk for fatal falls from height – more than seven times the rate of other industries – but falls can happen anywhere, even at a “desk job.”
- NSC data for 2016 includes falls from height and falls on the same level, by industry:
- Construction: 24,700 injuries, 384 deaths
- Manufacturing: 22,040 injuries, 49 deaths
- Wholesale trade: 10,250 injuries, 21 deaths
- Retail trade: 29,830 injuries, 29 deaths
- Transportation and Warehousing: 23,490 injuries, 46 deaths
- Professional and business services: 22,090 injuries, 111 deaths
- Education and health services: 43,660 injuries, 18 deaths
- Government: 63,350 injuries, 44 deaths
STATS
- Falls from portable ladders (step, straight, combination and extension) are one of the leading causes of occupational fatalities and injuries.
- 27% of the 900,380 nonfatal work injuries resulting in days away from work in 2018 were related to slips, trips, and falls.
- Fall fatalities are nearly equally divided between men and women. However, more women will experience a slip-and-fall accident. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, falls accounted for 5% of the job-related fatalities for women compared to 11% for men.
- Falls from elevation (approximately 40% of compensable fall cases, approximately 10% of occupational fatalities).
- Slips, trips, and falls (STFs) account for the majority of general industry accidents.
- About 65 percent of all work days or 95 million work days are lost due to slips, trips, and falls.