March 13, 2009
Did you know...?
Falls are the leading cause of non-fatal injuries in the US.
Fatal and non-fatal fall-related injuries cost an estimated $27 billion in healthcare expenses and those expenses are projected to increase to $32.4 billion by 2020.
Since a stairway is an architectural system intended to enable a person to change elevation, falls and serious injury consequences may occur during use due to gravitational forces and contact between body parts and hard surfaces following a loss of support. Bruises, sprains and fractures are common nonfatal injuries resulting from stairway falls. Head and neck trauma are the most common complaints among those seeking medical attention after stairway falls, with head-injury patients having a higher mortality rate than non-head-injured patients. Although many stairway falls are likely to occur in the home, injurious falls on stairways in work settings are equally problematic.
Professionals who study why people fall on or from stairs say health, environmental and behavioral reasons are contributing factors.
Health factors include eyesight problems, frailty, drowsiness, loss of balance and an inactive lifestyle.
Environmental factors include poor design, construction and maintenance of stairs; nonexistent or dysfunctional handrails; poor lighting; and other visual features of stairs such as the tread surfaces.
Behavioral factors include lack of concentration, carrying something while using stairs, unsuitable footwear, unfamiliarity with the stairs (although most stair-related injuries occur on stairs with which the fall victim is familiar — such as those in one’s home or at work) and decisions whether or not — and how — to modify or maintain the stairway environment.
In addition to the more obvious ways of preventing stairway falls (ie, keeping them clean, dry, uncluttered, well-maintained and well lit, using handrails, etc), the uniformity of stairway risers and treads must be given concerted attention during design and construction. Research has shown that during stairway use, pedestrians view only the first and last three steps, with the rest of the stairway negotiated without looking. Excessive dimensional variation appears to be the most common causative factor of falls in research studies followed by non-compliance with the 7-11 design rule (risers in the range of 7 inches and treads in the range of 11 inches). Stairways that do not follow the recommended limits of established building codes are more likely to be involved in falls. An ergonomics-based systems safety approach should be used when designing stairways.
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1650 Broadway |
6501 East Commerce, Suite 110 |
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