SLIP FALL FATALITIES

 WORKPLACE KILLS EMPLOYEES  

THE NUMBERS 
Anti-Slip Solution BC  Vancouver  BC  888-666-3118

The Workplace Safety Index found the financial burden of serious work related injuries…. grew to $45.8 Billion in 2001 from $44.2 Billion in 2000.
Risk & Insurance, Oct 15 2004  

Quick Facts:
Slip Fall fatalities are nearly equally divided between men and women. However, more women will experience a slip fall accident. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, falls accounted for 5% of the job-related fatalities for women compared to 11% for men.

Falls account for over 8 million hospital emergency room visits, representing the leading cause of visits (21.3%). A Slips fall accounts for over 1 million visits, or 12% of total falls.

Fractures are the most serious consequences of falls and occur in 5% of all people who fall.

Slip falls fatalities do not constitute a primary cause of occupational injuries, but represent the primary cause of lost days from work.

Slip falls are the leading cause of workers' compensation claims and are the leading cause of occupational injury for people aged 15-24 years.

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.

Of all fractures from falls, hip fractures are the most serious and lead to the greatest health problems and number of deaths. The following statistics describe the slip fall crisis affecting our nation's elderly:

• Each year in the United States, one of every three persons over the age of 65 will experience a fall. Half of which are repeat fallers. 
• According to the CDC In 2005, more than 15,8007 people over the age of 65 died as a result of a fall. Up from 7,700 a decade earlier. 
• The CDC also reports that approximately 1.8 million people over the age of 65 were treated in an emergency room as a result of a fall.
  
• For people aged 65-84 years, falls are the second leading cause of injury-related death; for those aged 85 years or older, falls are the leading cause of injury-related death.
  
• Incidence of falls goes up with each decade of life. 
• Of all deaths associated with falls, 60% involve people aged 75 years or older. 
• Falls account for 87% of all fractures among people over the age of 65 and are the second leading cause of spinal cord and brain injury. 
• Half of all elderly adults (over the age of 65) hospitalized for hip fractures cannot return home or live independently after the fracture. 
• Falls represent 40% of all nursing home admissions and are the sixth leading cause of death among people aged 70 years or older.Over 60% of nursing homes residents will fall each year. 
• According to The National Institute on Aging, every year 30% of people over the age of 65 will sustain a fall, of which 10% will result in a serious injury. 
• 67% of fall fatalities are among people aged 75 years or older. 
• People over the age of 85 are 10-15 times more likely to experience a hip fracture than are people aged 60-65 years. 

85% of worker's compensation claims are attributed to employees slipping on slick floors Industrial Safety & Occupational Health Markets 5th edition

22% of slip/fall incidents resulted in more than 31 days away from work
US Bureau of Labor Statistics (2002)

Compensation & medical costs associated with employee slip/fall accidents is approximately $70 billion annually
National Safety Council Injury Facts 2003 edition

Occupational fatalities due to falls are approximately 600 per year down from 1200 during since the 1970s.

Total injuries due to falls estimated at $13-14 million per year in U.S.

Falls are the number one cause of accidental injury, resulting in 20.8 percent of all emergency room visits in 1995. Motor vehicle accidents accounted for 11.9 percent of ER visits

Disabling (temporary and permanent) occupational injuries due to falls are approximately $250,000-$300,000 per year.

Falls occur in virtually all manufacturing and service sectors. Fatal falls however are in construction, mining and certain maintenance activities.

According to Workers Compensation statistics from ITT-Hartford Insurance Company, falls account for 16% of all claims and 26% of all costs. This compares to 33% of costs associated with sprains and strains.

1996 Injuries: Same Level Falls

• Ankle fractures – 4,056 
• Pelvic fractures – 1,593 
• Multiple Trunk injuries – 1,005 
• Shoulder fractures – 945 
• Shoulder trauma – 694 
• Leg fractures – 4,071 
• Back dislocations – 919 
• Wrist fractures – 5,534 
• Multiple body parts fractures – 560 
• Hand injuries – 849
  Ergonomics, 2001, Vol 44, No 13, pages 1118- 1137 

From 1992 – 1998

• 364 slip fall fatalities on job 
• 193 head injuries. 
• 65 fractures. 
• 22 injuries to internal organs. 
• 15 multiple trauma injuries. 
• 116 died the same day as accident. 
• 232 survived 7 days or less 
• 33 lasted 98 days or more.
  Ergonomics, 2001, Vol 44, No 13, pages 1118- 1137