Slips and falls are mostly result in bruise, sprain or fracture. Injuries are usually the outcome of carelessness on your part whether you are inside or outside of your home or workplace. Slips, trips and falls are the second leading cause of workplace injuries, accounting for over 20% of all injuries.
Slips and trips result in thousands of injuries each year with the most common injuries being musculoskeletal. Cuts, bruises, fractures, dislocations and more serious injuries also occur.
Globally, slips, trips and falls are the second leading cause of unintentional injury and death after traffic accidents. In Australia, deaths from slips and falls are five times more prevalent than deaths due to a fire. The two top places where slips, trips and falls occur are in the home and in nursing / retirement home facilities.
Messy work spaces, floors that are poorly maintained, unnoticed objects, obstructed views or poorly lit stairwells could cause personal injury. Slipping may also occur due to shiny or slippery floors, food and liquid spills, unexpected changes in floor surfaces, inappropriate drainage and not wearing appropriate footwear. Careless use of ladders or chairs, irregular floor surfaces, inadequate lighting in stairways or hallways and poor access to storage racking are hazards that may result in trip or slip injuries.
Recovery from these injuries can be a slow, painful process.
Debilitating health consequences caused by slip and fall accidents include:
- Hip and pelvis fractures
- Head/BrainInjuries
- Back, neck and spine injuries
- Torn tendons and ligaments
A serious pelvic fracture is likely to need lengthy physical therapy and rehabilitation. Recovery times also depend on what other damage has occurred. When the fracture runs through the hip socket this can leave the hip joint working less well and can affect mobility too.
Traumatic brain injuries require major care assistance for recovery and can result in memory, cognitive, behavioral and mobility complications.
Back, neck and spine injuries are painful and challenging to treat and can result in broken back, slipped disk, or other injury that may require surgery and lengthy rehabilitation. A painful and long term injury that involves torn tendons and ligaments often involves physical therapy and/or surgery. People with these types of injuries may endure long-term chronic pain and some may never return to normal.