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8 Common causes of slip and fall accidents

To help educate you, here are eight common causes of slip and fall accidents.

Slip and fall accidents are one of the most common accidents that befall pedestrians in public spaces every year. Whether they lead to lawsuits or not often depends on whether the space owner is doing the lawful minimum for keeping their space clean, safe, and up-to-date with recommended safety procedures. That being said, there’s a wide variety of potential causes for these types of slip and fall accidents.

To help educate you, here are eight common causes of slip and fall accidents.

1. Inclement Weather Conditions

When the weather gets out of control, accidents of all kinds begin to skyrocket in their frequency. From slick surfaces due to rain or snow to areas where high winds can put you at the risk of a nasty slip or fall, inclement weather opens up people (and businesses) to some extreme risks. For this reason, all businesses and public spaces should have strict safety rules in place to be followed when inclement weather suddenly pops up.

2. Wet and Uneven Surfaces

Even if the weather is perfect, a surface that’s wet or uneven can still be present. Especially if you’re in a high-traffic store, the chance that there may be frequently mopped floors is drastically increased. Unfortunately, improper signage around wet floors is still one of the top causes of slip and fall accidents. For business owners, avoiding these dangerous conditions is crucial to helping them avoid costly lawsuits, as well as damaging consequences for their business’s reputation. If you find yourself injured in this manner, through no fault of your own, contact Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers to get help with an injury lawsuit.

3. Inefficient Footwear

Not all slip and fall accidents happen within a building, and not all of them happen solely because of the fault of a property owner. In many cases, a pedestrian failing to wear footwear that’s appropriate for an environment is the primary cause of a slip and fall accident. Especially in outdoor spaces, knowing what footwear will keep you comfortable, safe and mobile is critical.

4. Nursing Home Neglect

Nursing homes are one of the most common places where serious slip and fall accidents occur. Due to this, neglectful nursing homes, or those that do not keep their surfaces properly maintained, are at serious risk of finding themselves slapped with a lawsuit. Since accidents that happen in nursing homes are often more dangerous, or even deadly, they are reported on more commonly as well.

5. Unsafe Stairs and Ladders

If you want to keep your properties safe, and free of dangerous slip and fall accidents, keeping any ladders, stairs, or other such devices in the area properly maintained is an absolute necessity. There’s a danger of improperly maintained stairs or ladders on private properties leading to costly, tragic lawsuits as well. If you’re purchasing an older home, checking up on the current state of the stairs within the home becomes critically important for this reason.

6. Improperly Maintained Safety Practices

Responsible businesses and public resource locations have strict safety practices in place to prevent avoidable accidents. Slip and fall accidents are especially prevalent and thus have led to a much more common emphasis being placed on them when drafting these safety practices. Unfortunately, even in locations where the importance of these safety practices is taken seriously, there are still semi-common occurrences of employees or managers not keeping up to date with maintaining them. When this occurs, the very real possibility of a slip and fall accident becomes that much more likely.

7. Stray Cords and Electrical Wires

Whether you’re in an office, or your own home, stray cords and electrical wires are one of the most avoidable slip and fall hazards you should try to control. Whether you’re using electrical tape or more innovative solutions to keep stray cords and wires out of the way, it’s always a good idea to check up on the state of space now and then to ensure it’s safe to walk through. If even walking through space is becoming hazardous, then you know you have a serious issue on your hands.

8. Broken and/or Damaged Handrails

Handrails are essential for elderly, disabled, and differently-abled people. They keep them upright, help them to maintain their balance, and prevent instances of easily avoidable slip and fall accidents. That being said, since handrails are used so often, they require frequent maintenance to ensure they are safe. Checking the stability of any handrails in a public space or business a few times a year is highly recommended.

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Stay Safe

Now that you know many of the most common causes of slip and fall accidents, you’ll be much more prepared to avoid them. Whether you’re a member of the public or a business owner, knowing how you can help prevent these tragic accidents from happening is one of your major responsibilities.

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Your "not that regular" all-around gal, writing about anything, thus everything. "There's always more to discover... thus write about," she says in between - GASP! - puffs. And so that's what she does, exactly. Write, of course; not (just) puff.

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