Slips, trips, and falls may seem like no big deal. But you would be surprised at just how hazardous a fall can be to your health.

A trip can lead to a twisted, swollen, or broken ankle. A slip can lead to something getting sprained. A fall could result in more severe injuries that make it impossible for you to go to work. A slip, trip, or fall should not be taken lightly, especially if you own a business. An employee or customer sustains any injury on your work premise could mean big legal trouble for a business. You will need to consult with a slip and fall lawyer Toronto for legal guidance. 

The necessary precautions should always be taken and vigilance exercised as long as people are on site. Precautions begin by understanding the leading causes of slips, trips, and falls in the first place. Yes, something like this is usually non-fatal, but every claim is still a cost that will impact your business. Something should be done when situations like this can easily be prevented.

Let’s start by understanding the leading causes of tripping and falling and what you can do to protect your business, employees, customers, and everyone involved. Here are the four leading causes of slip, trips, and falls:

Cause #1: Wet and slippery floors

There are some surfaces that you expect to be wet and slippery. Like the bathroom, for example. What catches most people off guard are the unexpected slippery surfaces. Sometimes, a surface could be more slippery than they bargained for when it gets wet. It becomes too easy to slip and fall in a situation like this.

Especially if there are no “Caution” signs to warn others that the surface they’re walking on will be wet or slippery. That is where the real problem happens. If someone falls on your premises because of a wet floor and there were no signs cautioning them of such a surface, it becomes a problem for the business. Sometimes, slippery surfaces are unavoidable, but what you can do is to make sure warning signs are always present and visible to the public.

Cause #2: Uneven floor surfaces

One of the most common causes of someone tripping or falling over anywhere is when the floor surface is uneven. When you’re so used to walking on an “expected” surface level, it can take your body a while to properly react to the shock of an uneven surface. The slower reaction time does not respond quickly enough to adjust to the situation. When that happens, the most likely scenario is the person will fall over.

Not to mention that most people today are very busy and on the go. They’re not fully concentrating on their surroundings. Some are too busy looking at their phones instead of the ground (well, most people hardly look at the ground when they walk anyway). Falling is even more common when someone is not paying attention. It’s easy for uneven surfaces to go unnoticed, especially when they’re not obvious.

Cause #3: Cables or hazardous material on the floor

How often have you accidentally tripped over a cable or cord trailing on the floor? What about a piece of debris or item that wasn’t supposed to be on the floor first? That is another common reason why trips and falls happen in public.

Cables and other hazardous materials on the floor might be a problem in a workplace because of all the equipment. Always ensure that your cables are kept from where people are walking to prevent such an accident. A good tip is to use cable management devices or try to keep your cables neat, tidy, and organized against the wall.

As for debris or material that could be a tripping hazard, these should be cleared out as soon as possible the minute you spot them.

Cause #4: Poor lighting

Nothing makes a trip or fall easier than a poorly lit area. When the lighting is inadequate, it becomes almost impossible for your employees or customers to see where they are going. Making their way safely across the room or the area becomes decidedly more dangerous because they have no idea what they might trip over on their way there.

This is something that is easily fixed too. A quick check around your building premise to see what areas need better lighting will solve that problem. When needed, warning signs should also be given to call attention to a potentially challenging area.