Slip, trip and fall accidents: relationship to building features and use of coroners' reports in ascribing cause

Coroners' reports of 1035 deaths possibly related to building features were examined to assess their usefulness in identifying the cause of slip, trip and fall (STF) fatalities. Of the total, falls accounted for over 80%. Of the STF deaths, 61.4% related to falls on stairs, 6.7% to falls from steps or ladders, and 5.5% to falls from windows or roofs. About 60% of total fall fatalities involved infirm persons; alcohol was involved in 60% of the falls in the under-50 age group. Information in coroners' reports is generally insufficient to link building features to injuries; better approaches to data collection are required.