We do this subconsciously, but it is a very precise calculation that our mind performs. We have determined over time that if there is even the slightest deviation in the height of one step from another while we’re descending a staircase our conscious awareness is surprised, which causes many people to lose their balance, stumble, and fall. The most common injury that results from a deviation in the height of steps is a fractured ankle, likely to produce a bi- or tri-malleolar. Of course, if someone continues down the staircase there can be additional injuries to any part of the body and could include a brain injury that could even result in death. 3) Recently mopped floors that are left wet, but are allowed to be walked over without appropriate barricading or warning signs, or when food or store products are allowed to fall on the floor in grocery or retail stores. 4) Handicap ramps which are in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). 5) Building codes and good construction practices demand that a flooring maintain a reasonable degree of friction so as to prevent a person from slipping. One would ordinarily expect to immediately slip if standing on ice, but if a floor was polished or manufactured with a finish similar to that a fall would be almost certain to occur. There are devices that measure the co-efficiency of friction on a surface and standards are likewise maintained within the building and flooring industry to prevent someone from walking over an overly slippery surface. 6) A depression in a grassed area can catch a pedestrian unsuspecting while walking through a parking lot grass median, commercial lawn, or playing field. 7) A past client fell backwards and broke her wrists while an overly exuberant and inattentive personal trainer had pushed her too far in an unfamiliar repetitive stepping exercise. 8) Hiking and running can be inherently dangerous and prone to cause falls.
