As fall weather rolls in and the outdoor air cools down, families throughout New York are starting to spend more time indoors: at home, in schools and workplaces, and in libraries, museums, cafes, and other indoor spaces.
To help protect yourself and those you care about from a slip and fall injury this autumn, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and experienced New York slip and fall accident lawyers recommend you spend some time identifying slip and trip hazards in your home and taking simple steps to remove them. Some items to look for include:
- Cracked, broken or uneven flooring;
- Uneven or broken thresholds in doorways;
- Places where puddles or spills are likely to occur and the reasons why;
- Loose rugs underfoot;
- Cluttered walkways;
- Loose or missing handrails or grab bars, especially on stairs and in places that are often slippery, like showers and bathtubs; and
- Broken or burned-out lightbulbs in doorways, walkways and on stairs.
Once you’ve identified potential hazards, take the steps you need to correct them. For instance, loose rugs can be secured with non-slip backings, puddles and spills can be cleaned up or contained, and burned-out lightbulbs are often easy to replace. If you need help from a building superintendent or a repair person to fix hazards like broken flooring or to install or fix loose or missing railings or grab bars, don’t hesitate to contact the help you need.
Falls send thousands of New Yorkers to the emergency room every year. Although elderly Americans are at the highest risk of a severe injury from a fall, a person of any age can suffer a head or spinal cord injury, a broken bone, or muscle and soft tissue damage in a fall. Protect yourself and others by keeping fall safety in mind.