If you are a victim of such an accident, chances are that you will either sustain injuries or even succumb to them. In fact, slip and falls come second to motor vehicle accidents as far as accidental deaths are concerned. As a result, they are responsible for millions of emergency room visits annually.
Factors that can cause slip and fall injuries
To better understand the causes of the more common slip and fall injuries, we should start with some of the leading factors that contribute to these injuries. They include:
Wet and uneven floors
If you are working in a building or house that has a wet flooring, chances of slipping and falling are very high. Wetness can either be caused by water or any other liquid such as milk, soup, or even oil. If such spills are not cleaned up in good time, you may slip and fall and thus get injured. Such hazards should be removed to reduce the risk of slip and fall accidents.
Besides this, you can slip and fall if you are walking on uneven flooring. For instance, if there are some rugs or mats on the floor, you are likely to slip and fall. If the pavement you are walking on has potholes, you can get a slip and fall injury. Better still, if there is some debris on the floor, you can slip and fall and thereby get injured. This is the reason why buildings with uneven floors should have warnings to alert users to be extra careful when walking on the floors.
Unsafe stairs and ladders
Besides wet and uneven floors, unsafe ladders and stairs can also cause you to have a slip and fall accident. For instance, if your staircase does not have handrails, you are likely to slip and fall when scaling them up or down.
Sometimes, the staircase may have handrails, but due to one reason or another, you fail to utilize them. Failure to utilize the existing handrails can make you encounter a slip and fall accident. Trash and debris on the staircase can make you slip and fall.
Using an unsecured ladder can make you have a slip and fall accident. Finally, if you opt to use a chair instead of a ladder to access a high point on a wall, chances of slipping and falling are very high.
Environmental conditions
Apart from the 2 factors mentioned above, environmental conditions can make you get into a slip and fall accident. For instance, if your building does not have a good lighting system, chances of slipping and falling are high.
Presence of open cabinets and drawers can cause a slip and fall accident. Finally, if you have upgraded your flooring, the transition from one flooring material to another can result in a slip and fall injury.
Final words
Although slip and fall accidents are rampant in many places, there is a need for you to take precautions to avoid the effects that come with them. From being hospitalized for many days to loss of income, there are many effects of such injuries. In case you had a slip and fall accident, you should hire a slip and fall injury lawyer so that you can get the compensation you deserve.
