Occupational slips and falls: more than a trivial problem.

The significance of occupational falls is established through analysis of workers' compensation data of a major insurance company. The data covered 11% of the American privately insured workforce and exposure estimates were based on Bureau of Labor Statistics demographics. The number of incidents and the relative cost of falls were examined by age, gender, industry, climate and geographic region and empirical data are presented. These data establish the enormous cost of falls measured in terms of individual pain and suffering and in losses to industrial organizations.