Where Do Slip & Fall Accidents Happen Most?
Michael Babboni
Premises Liability
Because we provides services for anyone in need of a slip and fall lawyer, see a lot of clients come in who have experienced this type of injury in a variety of situations. Make no mistake about it; a slip and fall injury can, and does, happen anywhere. But while a slip and fall injury is something that no location is 100% secure from, there are certain places where the risk of it happening go up. But where and why? We’ll go over some of the more common causes and locations so you can be more aware and more careful.Industrial Settings
This includes people who are working in these areas, and people who come to visit them or do business. An auto repair garage is a perfect example where these two types of people meet in a potentially hazardous environment. One of the necessary fluids for good automobile operation is oil, which is, of course, slick and slippery. It is nearly impossible, depending on the type of work required, for a mechanic to work on a car without causing the release of some oily fluids like motor oil. Because this is likely to happen on a daily, sometimes even hourly basis, the presence of oil on a floor can be hazardous.
Of course, some effort needs to be maintained to clean oil spills, especially if they’re in areas where high customer traffic is expected. It’s also important in order to protect the employees who work there, since both their health and ability to continue working are endangered by a bad fall.
Stairwells
There’s always a risk of falling when it comes to stairs, but the risk is a bit higher in public spaces. One of the reasons for this is, unlike the stairway in most homes, a stairwell isn’t a straight line, where you can see all potential obstacles in your path. Over the course of a day, people walking down while eating or drinking may have dropped some of their meal on the steps and if you’re not careful, slipping is easy to do.
The other danger is lighting. While it’s legally required for stairs to have adequate lighting in order to navigate the space, that doesn’t mean all people obey the law, or that the law is necessarily obeyed right away. If a light bulb is burned out in one particular section of a stairwell, it may take some time before someone is actually sent to repair the problem, and the risk of accidents goes up.
Transition Areas
Even in places that you would think are normally safe, such as offices, there’s potential for slip and fall accidents. This is especially true in “transition areas,” such as a room that has carpeting, but then suddenly switches over to tile flooring. People may fail to adjust their step as they move from one surface to the next, and the unevenness and unexpectedness of this change can cause a slip, a fall and an injury.
If you find yourself sustaining an injury due to a slip and a fall, try to determine who was at fault. If the owners of the space were negligent, it’s time to think about getting some compensation for your injury.