A statue portraying a man tripping another man, causing him to fall.

Falling is a major cause of personal injury, especially for the elderly. Builders and miners represent worker categories representing high rates of fall injuries. The WHO estimate (2002) that 392,000 people die in falls every year.^{[citation needed]} In 1972, Vesna Vulović survived a fall from 33,000ft without a parachute.^[1][2][3][4]

[edit] Falls in the workplace

At-risk workers without appropriate safety equipment

Falls from elevation hazards are present at most every jobsite, and many workers are exposed to these hazards daily. As such, falls are an important topic for occupational safety and health services. Any walking/working surface could be a potential fall hazard. An unprotected side or edge which is 6 feet or more above a lower level should be protected from falling by the use of a guardrail system, safety net system, or personal fall arrest system. ^[5] These hazardous exposures exist in many forms, and can be as seemingly innocuous as changing a light bulb from a step ladder to something as high-risk as riveting bolts on high steel at 200 feet in the air. Falls are the second leading cause of work-related death in the U.S. ^[6] In 2000, 717 workers died of injuries caused by falls from ladders, scaffolds, buildings, or other elevations.^[6] One of the most famous films on the internet is of Louise Drake, where CCTV footage caught her falling down the stairs in Degero's Ipswich. The video was particularly popular due to the severity of the fall itself, and how together Drake appeared after the accident.

[edit] Falls from buildings

Falls from buildings are often accidental but can also be caused intentionally, such as by defenestration. Injuries resulting in falls from buildings vary depending on the building's height and also depends on the type of person (infant, child, adult, elderly, etc.) Falls from the second floor (American; third floor European) usually result in injuries, but are not fatal. Companies must make sure that they follow the applicable safety legislation (e.g. the Occupational Safety and Health Act in the United States) in order to keep the work environment safe. Surviving a fall from higher points requires not injuring one's head or pelvis.^[7]

[edit] Elderly

Stephen Lord at the University of New South Wales studied 80,000 elderly persons in Australia and found that the risk of falling increases for any who are taking multiple prescription medications and for all who are taking psychoactive drugs. This increased risk was demonstrated through the use of a variety of balance and reaction time tests. Inexplicably, the older men when matched with women of identical height, weight, and age, on average, performed measurably better in all of the balance and reaction time tests.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Epidemiology

Disability-adjusted life year for falls per 100,000 inhabitants in 2004.^[8]

     no data      less than 40      40-110      110-180      180-250      250-320      320-390      390-460      460-530      530-600      600-670      670-1000      more than 1000

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Falls Among Older Adults: Brochures and Posters (in English, Spanish, and Chinese) US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Falls Among Older Adults: An Overview US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Costs of Falls Among Older Adults US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Hip Fractures Among Older Adults US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Falls in Nursing Homes US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• CDC Fall Prevention Activities US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Preventing Falls: What Works―A CDC Compendium of Effective Community-based Interventions from Around the World US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Preventing Falls: How to Develop Community-based Fall Prevention Programs for Older Adults US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Public Health Grand Rounds: Help Older Adults Live Better, Longer: Prevent Falls and Traumatic Brain Injuries US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• CDC’s Division of Unintentional Injury – Podcasts US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention