Circumstances of slips trips and falls among Hospital workers

Fatal work-related falls in the United States, 2003-2014

BACKGROUND

Falls are the second leading cause of work-related fatalities among US workers. We describe fatal work-related falls from 2003 to 2014, including demographic, work, and injury event characteristics, and changes in rates over time.

METHODS

We identified fatal falls from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries and estimated rates using the BLS Current Population Survey.

RESULTS

From 2003 to 2014, there were 8880 fatal work-related falls, at an annual rate of 5.5 per million FTE. Rates increased with age. Occupations with the highest rates included construction/extraction (42.2 per million FTE) and installation/maintenance/repair (12.5 per million FTE). Falls to a lower level represented the majority (n = 7521, 85%) compared to falls on the same level (n = 1128, 13%).

CONCLUSIONS

Falls are a persistent source of work-related fatalities. Fall prevention should continue to focus on regulation adherence, Prevention through Design, improving fall protection, training, fostering partnerships, and increasing communication.

Required friction during overground walking is lower among obese compared to non-obese older men, but does not differ with obesity among women

Obesity and aging have been independently associated with altered required friction during walking, but it is unclear how these factors interact to influence the likelihood of slipping. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine whether there are differences related to obesity and aging on required friction during overground walking. Fourteen older non-obese, 11 older obese, 20 younger non-obese, and 20 younger obese adults completed walking trials at both a self-selected and hurried speed. When walking at a hurried speed, older obese men walked at a slower gait speed and exhibited lower frictional demands compared both to older non-obese men and to younger obese men. No differences in required friction were found between non-obese and obese younger adults. These results suggest that the increased rate of falls among obese or older adults is not likely due to a higher risk of slip initiation.