There are many times during the year that Building Forensics International will receive a call about what is termed Slip and fall, or trip and fall, is a personal injury legal case based on the claim that the property owner was negligent in allowing a dangerous condition to exist that caused the fall.
Statistics prove that owners of businesses where employees or customers occupy the owner’s business location are vulnerable to these types of lawsuits. Here are some of the statistics that support slip and fall vulnerability.
Falls account for over 8 million hospital emergency room visits, the leading cause of visits (21.3%), are the primary cause of lost days from work and are the leading cause of workers’ compensation claims (NFSI).
According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), floors and flooring materials contribute directly to more than 2 million fall injuries each year.
Half of all accidental deaths in the home are caused by a fall. Most fall injuries in the home happen at ground level, not from an elevation.
Compensation & medical costs associated with employee slip/fall accidents is approximately $70 billion annually (National Safety Council Injury Facts 2003 edition).
There are many variables that come into play with slip and fall accidents. BFI has been involved in providing concrete expert witness consulting to aid in determining the truth of individual incidents. For example, conditions and quality of the walking surface and the shoes soles involved in the incident. Was the surface worn, oily, dusty, or wet conditions?
Most importantly BFI can provide business owners with test evaluations of the floor surface and the resistance effective of the floor surface. Being proactive can be an effective measure to fight against slip and fall claims.
If you would like more information about having your floors tested for slip resistance, contact BFI for an evaluation.
BFI Staff Writer ~