Fall prevention standards called potential game changer

The healthcare industry has the highest percentage of accident claim costs associated with falls. New walkway safety standards have emerged and are certain to change the way slip-and-fall lawsuits are litigated, according to an article on the FacilityCare website.

Property owners can now be held liable for the slip resistance of their walkways. In the past, property owners and their insurers were unable to accurately measure the slip-and-fall risk of a walkway. 

Recent advances in technology have produced highly accurate robotic walkway slip-resistance testers, which are used as the basis of defining whether a walkway is safe.

Currently, the ANSI/NFSI B101 standards are voluntary but A healthcare provider’s choice to comply could play a bigger role in the outcome of a slip-and-fall lawsuit. 

Read the article.