According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2013, slips, trips and falls comprised 15% of all injuries and 25% of all days-away injuries, with 25,000 these injuries occurring daily. The BLS also cited slips, trips and falls as the second leading cause of work-related injuries. And these injuries don't just injure, they kill. Slips, trips and falls caused 15% of all occupational deaths. In 2009 in the US alone, this costs employers $19 million. From 1998 to 2007, overall injuries increased 6% while slips, trips and falls injuries increased 37% - a rate that is 6 times the rate of other injuries.
The industries with the highest incidence of slips, trips and falls come as no surprise and include:
Construction
Food Services
Healthcare
Highway Maintenance
Housekeeping/Cleaners
Telecommunications
By definition, a slip occurs when there is too little traction between the foot and surface. A trip occurs when the foot or lower leg strikes and object and the upper body keeps moving. And a fall occurs when either a slip or trip cause the body to be too off of the center of gravity. A fall can occur to the same or different levels.
