Slip and fall accidents are a major public health problem, especially among older adults and construction workers. They are the leading cause of fatal and non-fatal injuries in the United States, and they are costly, both in terms of human life and healthcare resources.
Key Takeaways
- Over 14 million, or 1 in 4 older adults report falling every year.
- In 2023’s provisional data, fall injuries are one of the top causes of fatal injuries to senior citizens (3,585 deaths), alongside suicides (4,173) and unintentional traffic motor accidents (3,227). Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the leading cause of fatal injuries among seniors (5,762).
- The most frequently violated and cited safety standards in the construction industry, according to OSHA data for the fiscal year 2022 (from October 2021 to September 2022), are related to preventing falls. Fall protection ranked first, accounting for 5,915 violations. Ladder use ranked third, accounting for 2,449 violations. Lastly, using scaffolding ranked fifth, accounting for 2,251 violations.
- In 2022 and 2023, falls continued to be the leading cause of death in construction, accounting for a significant 40% of fatalities. A majority of these reported deaths were among individuals of Hispanic descent.
- In 2021, outside of work and employment, the top three leading causes of injuries that account for 86% of preventable deaths are falls (20%), poisoning (45%), and motor vehicles (21%).
Impact On Senior Citizens
Falls are a major public health problem among older adults. In the United States, most older adults experience fatal falls each year. Those who experience non-fatal falls, tend to spend a lot of money recovering.
- Over 14 million, or 1 in 4 older adults report falling every year.
- In 2023’s provisional data, fall injuries are one of the top causes of fatal injuries to senior citizens (3,585 deaths), alongside suicides (4,173) and unintentional traffic motor accidents (3,227). Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the leading cause of fatal injuries among seniors (5,762).
- In 2022, 40,928 senior citizens aged 65 or older sadly lost their lives due to accidental falls, averaging about 3,410 deaths each month. In 2021, the number of senior citizens fall-related deaths was slightly lower at 38,742, averaging around 3,228 per month. In 2020 the count was 36,508 such fatalities, roughly 3,042 every month. In 2019, the count was 34,212, roughly 2,851 every month. In 2018, the count was 32,522 cases, roughly 2,710 every month.
- On average, the number of deaths caused by falls in senior citizens rose by an average of 5.58% per year from 2018 to 2022.
- Every 11 seconds or so, a senior adult is sent to the emergency department because of a fall. And every 19 minutes, one dies from a fall.
- In a clinical investigation where 1,315 patients aged 65 and over were sent to the emergency department (ED) because of unintentional falls, men had a higher rate of mortality within six months after ED presentation, around 12.4%. Meanwhile, women had a 5.2% mortality rate.
- In hospitals, 3% of patients fall, and 30% of these patients experience injuries.
- Each year, a total of $754 million is spent on medical costs related to fatal injuries among older adults. About $50 billion is spent on medical costs related to older adult falls—fatal injuries total $754 million, and the remainder is attributed to non-fatal fall injuries.
- Of this expenditure, $29 billion is paid by Medicare, $12 billion is paid by private or out-of-pocket payers, and $9 billion is paid by Medicaid.
- In 2021, the costs incurred by patients who suffered a fall is around US$64,526.
- It is estimated that the total cost of treating falls may reach $101 trillion by 2030.
Associations With Medical Conditions
Various medical conditions can raise the risk of experiencing fatal falls in some people. Below are some of them:
- Every decade, adults older than 30 lose 10% in endurance and strength. At the same time, they also lose 30% of muscle power every decade.
- Women aged 50 and older with certain conditions have a 1.64 times risk of falling compared to others. According to a published analysis in 2020, these conditions include hyperuricemia, depression, metabolic syndrome, and musculoskeletal pain.
- Around 59%–84% of people with hyperkinetic movement disorders (HKMDs) have a higher risk of falling. HKMDs include dystonia (65%), Huntington’s (79%), essential tremor (59%), and spinocerebellar ataxia (84%).
- Older people with HIV (PWH) have numerous risk factors that can contribute to serious falls and fragility fractures, putting them in VACS Index 2.0. In a clinical investigation, 21,041 older PWH were found to suffer from serious falls (15%) and fractures (13%) if they were in VACS Index 2.0.
- In nursing research related to falls, the top ten most present keywords in them are medication (1,166), fall prevention (954), fall injury (933), older adult (802), educational program (765), fracture (744), quality (665), restraint (647), patient safety (611), and health (609). Hospitalization, long-term care facility fall, dementia, balance, physical activity, fall risk assessment tool, nursing process, problem, fall knowledge, and adverse effects ranked 11 to 20, respectively.
- Exercising can reduce the rate of falls in older people by 23%. The exercises that reduce falls involve balance and functional exercises. Programs that can probably reduce falls include multiple categories, including resistance training.
- Balance and functional exercises reduced the rate of falls by 24% and the number of fallers by 13% with high certainty. On the other hand, Tai Chi reduced the rate of falls by 19% and the number of fallers by 20%.
- Meanwhile, multiple types of exercises (including balance, functional, and resistance) have a probability of reducing the rate of falls by 34% and the number of fallers by 22%.
- In a recent review in South Korea, it was found that people with suicidal tendencies have a higher risk (23.8%) of experiencing a fatal fall. Patients admitted to the hospital were split into two groups: suicidal and accidental. The suicide group had a notably higher mortality rate (23.8%) compared to the accident group (6.5%).
Workplace Safety And OSHA Standards
Falls are the leading cause of fatal and non-fatal injuries in the construction industry. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is doing everything to educate employers and employees about safety standards to prevent this kind of accident. However, many of them fail to comply.
- The most frequently violated and cited safety standards in the construction industry, according to OSHA data for the fiscal year 2022 (from October 2021 to September 2022), are related to preventing falls. Fall protection ranked first, accounting for 5,915 violations. Ladder use ranked third, accounting for 2,449 violations. Lastly, using scaffolding ranked fifth, accounting for 2,251 violations.
- In terms of training requirements, fall protection is the most frequently cited standard, with 1,762 violations. It ranked eighth in the most cited violation standard in OSHA.
- From 2016 to 2021, approximately 36.8% of fatal accidents in construction were due to falls, slips, and trips.
- The total rate of illnesses and injuries in the construction industry in 2021 is 108.6 per 10,000 full-time workers.
- In 2022 and 2023, falls continued to be the leading cause of death in construction, accounting for a significant 40% of fatalities. A majority of these reported deaths were among individuals of Hispanic descent.
- Nearly 75% of these fatalities occurred within small construction companies with 20 or fewer employees.
- Most fatal injuries tend to occur among specialty trade contractors, accounting for 73.56% of total fatal injuries in the construction sector in 2021.
- In 2021, 23.82% of fatal injuries were related to building construction.
- The remaining 2.62% of fatal injuries in 2021 were associated with heavy and civil engineering construction.
- Falls to a lower level increased by 7.4% from 2020 to 2021, rising from 353 to 379 incidents. These falls were often caused by individuals falling through a surface or an existing opening, accounting for 47.6% of the increase. Falls from collapsing structures or equipment made up 31.8% of the increase.
- In 2021, work-related fatalities caused by falls, slips, and trips increased by 5.6%. Out of 850 fatalities, 370 were due to slips, trips, and falls in construction and extraction occupations.
- Despite the increase in 2021, the figures are still down by 9.3% compared to 2019. In 2019, construction and extraction workers had 408 fatalities caused by slips, trips, and falls.
- The injury rate related to falls, slips, and trips is 21.7 per 10,000 full-time workers.
- In 2021, falls to a lower level accounted for around 82.42% of all fall-related incidents, while falls to the same level accounted for around 17.58% in all occupations.
- From 2022 to 2023, approximately 95% of fall, slip, and trip accidents in the construction industry involved individuals falling to a lower level, while the remaining 5% involved falling on the same level.
- The age group of workers who are at the most risk is 55 and older, with 3,140 reported deaths according to the latest census data in 2020.
- Typically, a worker who experiences a falling, slipping, or tripping injury can incur an average of 14 lost days away from work.
- Meanwhile, the median days away from work caused by illness and injuries in 2020 is 12 days.
- The total recorded nonfatal injuries and illnesses in the private industry in 2021 is 2,607,900. Cases that caused workers to have days away from work account for 1,062,700 cases. Out of these cases, 211,640 of them were caused by falls, slips, and trips.
- Every year, approximately 350,000 workplace fatalities and 300 million workplace injuries occur. Occupational injuries reduce the healthy lifespan by 3.5.
- Falls, slips, and trips make up 18% of the reasons workers leave their jobs in 2020. In 2021, 16% of work-related deaths were caused by falls, slips, and falls.
State-Specific Data
Falls are a leading cause of death in the United States, especially among older adults. While more populous states like California, Texas, and Florida have more deaths due to falls, smaller states like Alaska, South Dakota, and New Mexico have a higher percentage of older adults who die from falls.
- In 2021, outside of work and employment, the top three leading causes of injuries that account for 86% of preventable deaths are falls (20%), poisoning (45%), and motor vehicles (21%).
- In 2021, there were a total of 44,686 reported deaths from all age groups because of falls, slips, and trips.
- From 2000 to 2021, falls have been consistently ranked third in preventable deaths for age groups 35–44, 45–54, and 55–64. Meanwhile, falls have been consistently ranked first in avoidable deaths for age groups 65–74, 75–84, and 85+.
- In 2018, while not all falls resulted in an injury, about 37% of those who fell reported an injury that required medical treatment or restricted their activity for at least one day. This resulted in an estimated nine million fall injuries.
- In 2021, Florida suffered 3,816 deaths with an 87.3 fall death rate per 100,000 deaths. California followed with 2,347 (43.1 death rate) and Texas with 2,125 (65.1 death rate).
- California leads the number of deaths of older adults who fell, averaging 1,402,482 deaths per year. This is with 30.56% of older Californians. Florida follows with an average of 986,467 deaths/year, with 25.2% of older Floridians. Texas follows with an average of 983,581 deaths/year, with 31% of older Texans.
- In 2020, Alaska had the highest percentage of adults who fell, leading with 38% (32,717). It is followed by South Dakota with 34% (48,809) and New Mexico with 33.4% (123,687).
- About 16.4% of the total fatal occupational injuries in Michigan in 2021 were caused by falls, slips, or trips. Events as such came in third on the list. Transportation incidents top the list, accounting for 33.6% of the fatal occupational injuries in the state.
- In the same state, fall protection accounts for 34% of serious violations, injuries, and fatalities annually. It’s the number one cited construction violation, not only nationally, but in the state as well.
- Fall protection violation was cited 472 times in Michigan in 2021. The penalties under this violation reached a total amount of $536,000.
- About 46.51% out of 502 Michigan residents reported that ice is a major deterrent to their daily activities due to the increased risk of slips and falls. Of the 502 residents, 21.71% mentioned that snow was their major deterrent. Nationally, 1 in 4 falls is caused by snow and ice.
- In 2021, a total of 24,048 Michigan residents were sent to the hospital due to a fall. In the same year, there were 198,794 emergency department visits caused by a fall-related injury.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How many old adults in the United States die from falls, slips, and trips?
Over 14 million, or 1 in 4 older adults report falling every year.
In 2023’s provisional data, fall injuries are one of the top causes of fatal injuries to senior citizens (3,585 deaths), alongside suicides (4,173) and unintentional traffic motor accidents (3,227). Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the leading cause of fatal injuries among seniors (5,762).
How many people in the construction industry die from falls, slips, and trips?
From 2016 to 2021, approximately 36.8% of fatal accidents in construction were due to falls, slips, and trips.
In 2022 and 2023, falls continued to be the leading cause of death in construction, accounting for a significant 40% of fatalities. A majority of these reported deaths were among individuals of Hispanic descent.
In what states are falls very problematic?
California leads the number of deaths of older adults who fell, averaging 1,402,482 deaths per year. This is with 30.56% of older Californians. Florida follows with an average of 986,467 deaths, with 25.2% of older Floridians. Texas follows with an average of 983,581 deaths yearly, with 31% of older Texans.
In 2020, Alaska had the highest percentage of adults who fell, leading with 38% (32,717). It is followed by South Dakota with 34% (48,809) and New Mexico with 33.4% (123,687).
How many work days do fall, slip, and trip victims lose on average?
Typically, a worker who experiences a falling, slipping, or tripping injury can incur an average of 14 lost days away from work.
What worker age group is at high risk of fatal falls, slips, and trips?
The age group of workers who are at the most risk is 55 and older, with 3,140 reported deaths according to the latest census data in 2020.