Slip and fall incidents are far more common than most people realize, often occurring in places we trust to be safe.
Many of these accidents go unreported, leaving individuals to deal with the consequences on their own. What seems like a simple misstep can quickly turn into a situation that affects mobility, confidence, and quality of life.
Even though slip and fall accidents seem minor or irrelevant to many people, the outcome can be worse than you think and may cause long-term problems in that person’s life.
People who read about sociology already know how much the social imbalance can affect everyday safety in public spaces and gain a bit more insight into how companies deal with managing those incidents over the years.
Let’s dive in!
How Public Spaces Become Less Safe Over The Years
Lots of public places aren’t safe enough, and Slip and Fall Incidents often highlight this issue—not because big corporations don’t care about people’s safety, but because they may have neglected it over the years.
Why is that?
One of the main reasons is trying to function on a budget, shortage of workers, and priorities themselves. Over time, they become preoccupied with the profit and the bigger image and not with their guests’ protection, like they should.
Social behavior experts often discuss how society pressures property owners into neglecting the safety of the object.
It happens gradually by reducing the maintenance of the equipment and floors due to staff shortage and delays in repairs, which could cause slips and falls and are a threat to public safety.
Even some minor elements like cleaning schedules, small bumps, or any uneven surface can increase the risk of falls over time.
They’re probably not doing it on purpose, but even small choices like that could eventually make unsafe situations more likely to occur.
Social Inequality Regarding Risk Exposure
Safety standards often vary from the place you live to where you work or spend your free time, and this inconsistency often leads to an increased number of Slip And Fall Incidents.
In most cases, underprivileged neighborhoods don’t have proper safety measures, and people who work or stay in these environments, as well as disabled people who have mobility issues, have a larger risk for falls or injuries in general.
Restaurant, retail, or maintenance workers probably have encountered this problem more than others.
| 245,000+ U.S. workers are injured each year due to slip, fall, and/or trip accidents; each of these is severe enough to have required a visit to the ER, and some time off work. – U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) |
Spilled water, ice, and sauces in restaurants or piles of clothes in small stores that impair visibility all represent hazards for workers and guests visiting the place.
Sometimes people don’t enjoy doing the job as much, but they don’t have better choices, which again indicates that the role of social status in a workplace could affect the risk exposure.
Even when the incident happens, people with better incomes can afford to miss work and pay for other expenses. And that’s not everything; they can pay for the best physical care or rehabilitation to recover from the injury.
But also keep in mind that it greatly depends on where the accident happened. For example, a slip and fall attorney in Evanston (Illinois) will look at the evidence to determine who’s at fault because of modified comparative negligence, which states that there’s no need for proof that the owner had actual notice of the hazard.
On the other hand, a slip and fall lawyer in Phoenix (Arizona) will know that even if the owner is proven to be negligent, your compensation will still be reduced by your share of fault because of pure comparative negligence.
These kinds of differences are the prime reason to go for a specialized lawyer, but also for one who works under the law of the state where the accident happened.
How Institutions Avoid Liability
In lots of facilities/institutions, there are always ‘watch your step’ or ‘use at your own risk’ signs around. Even though it indicates that people should be careful, of course, it is also a way institutions withdraw from possible accusations if the incident occurs.
Some research found that people didn’t report the injury precisely because of the possibility of being blamed. Companies could claim that they were warned and the signs are visible, so they should’ve just been more careful.
Altogether, it contributes to decreased safety standards and no people being held accountable.
Legal Role In Dealing With Injury Claims
Professionals in legal advisory can help you know more about your rights if the company neglected your safety and contributed to the injury.
They have the right to review the security cameras and collect other important information about the company’s safety protocol.
For those who haven’t had experience in injury claims and didn’t have to deal with the stress, this would definitely help them resolve the issue with less pressure.
Advocate companies don’t just help individuals in injury claims; they bring attention to issues in the system where people’s health is less of a concern than financial resources.
In fact, these legal actions can encourage better management and protocols in many institutions and broaden the perspective globally.
What Can The Community Do?
When it comes to the changes people can make to prevent poor safety management in public spaces and fight for their rights, there are always posters, campaigns, protests, and other forms of activism.
Those improvements will certainly have an impact on changing people’s perspectives and encouraging others to get involved actively.
Psychologically, when a group of people decides to make a change and demand transparency, it creates a shift of power that not just improves safety, which is the main goal, but forms a stronger community that respects each other more and reflects on possible obstacles in the future that need to be addressed.
Slip and Fall Incidents Reveal Society’s Impact on Safety and Responsibility
Incidents like slips and falls can show us how society can affect economic decisions and public safety overall. By understanding society and by knowing how it affects the safety of the population itself, we can prevent a great number of accidents from happening in the first place.
This way, we also get to learn more about our responsibilities towards ourselves and the community we live in.
