STOP THE SLIP

A debut compendium of facts and prevention advice demonstrates that falling is no laughing matter.

Disch, who has developed numerous products to help avert slips, trips, and falls (referred to by government agencies as the injury category “STF”), writes: “Falls are the number one reason for emergency room visits every year.” Still, as the author points out, tumbling is sometimes viewed less than seriously; in fact, taking a fall has been a common comedic technique permeating the culture for decades. In addition, the author debunks the perception that the elderly slip most often. He clarifies that “falls create more emergency room visits for children…than for the elderly,” but the older people get, “the more serious the consequences.” Using a plethora of facts peppered throughout the book, Disch makes it clear that STFs can cause severe injuries; a multitude of charts and graphs strongly supports his case. In addition, the author employs several anecdotes that pointedly illustrate various types of STFs. Four sections comprehensively address the topic. The first one concentrates on “Why We Fall,” while the second examines “Where We Fall,” with an emphasis on potential home-based hazards, such as stairs, ladders, poor lighting, and uneven sidewalks. Section 3 features “The Business Side of Slips, Trips, and Falls.” This part contains information about accidents at work but also covers insurance and fall-related litigation, subjects that are essential to understand. The examples used for lawsuits are particularly captivating. At times, the overabundance of data in the book, while intriguing, may cloud the real value of the content, embedded in the final section. Here, the author delivers a prevention technique he calls “The ALERT System,” an acronym that stands for “Aware, Learn, Early, React, Train.” Each of these elements is described in detail, and taken together, the ALERT system does seem a legitimate way to “reduce the number of falls and fall injuries.” Two handy items in Section 4 are the “Home Audit Checklist” and the “Business Audit Checklist,” both designed to help decrease falls.

An in-depth, informed study of falls with numerous excellent avoidance tips.