There’s more to slip, trip and fall accidents than the skid resistance of flooring and the tread of the footwear.\u00a0 The cause of an accident also varies with the location of the accident and these can be categorized. (Refs 1, 2)\u00a0 When an expert is asked about cause at the case- or insurance-claim assessment stage, he wants to know about accident location.\u00a0 The category tells him a lot.<\/p>\n
He thinks differently according to the category.\u00a0 This is the same as him thinking differently according to the type of structure<\/em>, component<\/em> or material<\/em> that fails in the built environment, as posted in earlier blogs. (Ref. 3)<\/p>\n You mention location in your briefing on the accident and the expert goes through the same process in forming an initial hypothesis on cause – an initial oral report – as for a structure that fails.\u00a0 He considers::<\/p>\n There are many categories. (Refs 1, 2):<\/p>\n You might be interested in knowing<\/strong><\/span> that falls in the work place are the number one preventable loss type.\u00a0 And in public places, falls are far and away the leading cause of injury. (Ref. 1)\u00a0 There are lots of work places and lots of public places as can be seen in the above list.<\/p>\n I haven’t seen them but I’m certain percentages have been worked out for the occurrence of accidents at each of the above locations.\u00a0 Also, on looking closer at each location, I’m certain percentages have been worked out for the following different elements in a slip, trip or fall accident at each location: (Ref. 4):<\/p>\n And looking closer still at each location, I’m certain percentages exist of accidents that can be traced back to each of the following: (Ref. 1):<\/p>\n Categorizing the location of slip, trip and fall accidents like this can help determine the cause of an accident.\u00a0 This is similar to categorizing the structures in the built environment as a means of determining the cause of failure of one of the structures or one of the components.\u00a0 This categorizing is why an expert can give you some understanding of cause at the case- or claim-assessment stage.<\/p>\n We categorize people to help a society function – and this works when done thoughtfully.\u00a0 Why not categorize accident locations to help determine cause?<\/p>\n References<\/strong><\/p>\n (Posted by Eric E. Jorden, M.Sc., P.Eng. Consulting Professional Engineer, Forensic Engineer, Geotechnology Ltd., Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. April 30, 2019 ejorden@eastlink.ca<\/span><\/strong>)\u00a0 \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" There’s more to slip, trip and fall accidents than the skid resistance of flooring and the tread of the footwear.\u00a0 The cause of an accident also varies with the location of the accident and these can be categorized. (Refs 1, … Continue reading \n
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