4 common places where you can slip, trip or fall
Slipping, tripping, and falling can be deadly. According to the National Safety Council, 32,000 people died from fall accidents in 2014. Slips, trips and falls can happen just about anywhere. However, there are certain places where they occur more often.
Knowing where these accidents are likely to take place can help you stay safe. Here are some common ways you can slip or trip and fall during your daily life.
1. Parking lots
While parking lots may seem like generally safe places, they can be dangerous. Some parking lot hazards include:
- Poor lighting
- Cracked pavement
- Inadequate handrails
- Slippery surfaces
If you injure yourself in a parking lot, you may be able to take legal action against the property owner or the person in charge of maintenance.
2. Retail stores
You go to various retail establishments to shop for groceries, clothes, accessories and home necessities. You may get hurt because of a spilled drink, an uneven mat, fallen merchandise, a freshly-mopped floor or an accumulation of rain in an entryway. The entity liable for keeping stores safe may be the property owner, store owner or renter.
3. The workplace
No matter where you work, you could be at risk of a slip-and-fall injury. Here are the workplace deaths and injuries that occurred because of falls in 2013:
- Construction: 302 deaths and 21,890 injuries
- Retail trade: 32 deaths and 29,690 injuries
- Wholesale trade: 25 deaths and 12,640 injuries
- Manufacturing: 42 deaths and 21,430 injuries
- Business and professional services: 91 deaths and 19,300 injuries
- Warehousing and transportation: 35 deaths and 21,970 injuries
- Government: 54 deaths and 66,940 injuries
- Health and education services: 13 deaths and 47,740 injuries
If you experience an injury while working, you may be able to file a workers’ compensation claim.
4. Homes
A home can sometimes be the place you suffer an injury. You may get hurt at your own house, or while visiting someone you know. Residential properties can be full of uneven surfaces, curled carpets, broken stairs and faulty ladders. To determine liability in a home accident, you may need legal help.