Prevention of Same Level Falls

The National Safety Council has posted an abstract of an article by Sylvie Leclercq dealing with preventing same level falls. Until the beginning of the 1990s, research into the prevention of same level falls was particularly focused on slipping by measuring slip resistance and trying to improve that to make flooring less slippery.

Also studied were the events that happen before and after the person who is falling loses balance. According to the study, same level falls represent at least 20% of all occupational accidents (Skiba, 1983; H.S.E., 1985; CNAM, 1995).

A study showed in 1993 – 2% of fatal accidents in France involved same level falls and 22% of lost work days were due to same level falls. Other studies have shown that
bone fractures are the most common injury caused by a fall (Manning, 1983; Skiba, 1983; Buck & Coleman, 1985; Gagey, 1994).