Fall injury is one of the most common workplace injuries. According to Injury Facts®, 42,114 people died in falls at home and work in 2020. Working at height is a dangerous activity as the risk of falling can be fatal and can cause disability. Safety should be prioritized in any type of working area, especially working at height.
According to the official portal of the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM), the number of occupational injuries was 21,534 cases in 2021. In terms of the rate of fatal occupational injuries, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya registered the highest rate of fatal occupational injuries at 4.26 per 100,000 workers, followed by Johor (3.23), Negeri Sembilan (2.99), Sarawak (2.74) and Pahang (2.69). On the other hand, Perlis and Wilayah Persekutuan Labuan still recorded zero fatal occupational injury since 2020.
60.8% of occupational injuries are caused by three (3) types of accident, namely Stepping On, Striking Against or Struck by Objects, including Falling Objects (5,330 injuries, 109 deaths), Falls of Persons (4,094 injuries, 95 deaths), and Other Types of Unclassified Accidents (3,661 injuries, 0 death). The majority of these accidents are caused by the Working Environment (10,412 cases), Means of Transport and Lifting Equipment (3,129 cases), and Machines (2,222 cases).
Figure 1: The Number of Occupational Injuries by Type of Accident & Cause of Accident, 2021
Figure 1 illustrates that “Falls of Persons” is the second highest type of accident that happened in 2021, which should be preventable. Many people are not aware of the cost of a slip or fall accident. Here are 10 facts about slips and falls to demonstrate the seriousness of these types of accidents.
The number of people who need emergency medical care because of a slip and fall is more than one million each year. Slip and fall accidents make up about 12% of total fall-related ER visits in the U.S.
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According to the Centers for Disease Control, the average cost of a slip and fall accident is $30,000 to $40,000. These are for direct medical costs associated with:
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-Hospital visits
-Nursing home care
-Rehabilitation
-Community-based services
-Prescription drugs
-Insurance processing
These costs do not account for long-term effects associated with disability, lost time from work, or dependence on others.
There is a 5% chance for one to break a bone during a slip and fall. Slip and fall accidents lead to 20-30% of severe injury cases. Serious pain from a fracture can torture you physically and mentally by causing emotional anguish.
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The risk for a slip and fall increases with age; the more serious the slip and fall accident of an elderly can be. As a matter of fact, slips and falls are the most significant workplace injuries for people over 55.
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Even though slip and fall accidents are often the more serious for older adults, they’re a leading cause of injury for all age groups. It’s the second-most common cause of non-fatal injuries for people ages 10-24.
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The most common way to suffer a brain injury is by falling. A brain injury can be devastating because the victim may not even realize the extent of their injuries. A brain injury can have lingering effects, and it’s critical to recognize, diagnose, and treat a brain injury correctly.
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Falls are responsible for a whopping 95% of hip fractures. A hip fracture often requires invasive surgery. The pain, suffering, and limited mobility from a hip fracture can change your life in an instant.
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Slip and fall accidents cost Americans more than $34 billion each year. The medical bills that result from a slip and fall are often both unexpected and devastating.
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In addition to medical bills and other damages, slip and fall accidents cost businesses in terms of lost work productivity. A slip and fall accident results in an average of 11 lost days of work. In cases of serious injury, lost work productivity may be much more significant.
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Many people hesitate to bring a personal injury action because they worry about having to testify in a courtroom formally. But less than 2% of personal injury cases result in a jury trial.
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Identifying fall hazards involves recognizing any work process, activity or situation with the potential to cause injury or harm to a person due to a risk of falling when working at heights. The hazards must always be identified, risks assessed, and the proper controls put in place before starting work and when changes to work activities are planned or occur.
Hazard elimination is the first and best control to protect employees from fall hazards. The controls in this list are progressively less protective, with Administrative Controls being the least protective.
Employers must set up the workplace to prevent employees from falling off of overhead platforms, elevated workstations or holes in the floor and walls. OSHA requires that fall protection be provided at elevations of four feet in general industry workplaces, five feet in shipyards, six feet in the construction industry and eight feet in longshoring operations. In addition, OSHA requires that fall protection be provided when working over dangerous equipment and machinery, regardless of the fall distance.
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OSHA requires employers to:
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