Trip and fall down hotel stairs causing serious wrist injury

What happened?

Whilst engaged in business travel, an employee of one of our members slipped and fell when descending a hotel staircase. He sustained multiple fractures and dislocation of the left wrist. He used his left hand to try to ‘break’ the fall which incurred serious impact injuries. The injured person reported to the company office the following morning before being transferred to hospital where an x-ray confirmed the extent of the injury, which required surgery.

What were the causes? What went wrong?

During the interview about the incident it was confirmed that the injured person had been using his mobile phone while going down the stairs and was not holding the staircase handrail.

What actions were taken?

• DON’T use your mobile phone when walking up or down stairs!
• Keep your eyes on what you are doing, maintain three points of contact wherever possible when going down the stairs;
• Always hold the handrail, when ascending or descending stairs;
• Stay alert to your environmental surroundings and adopt good hazard awareness, even when not in the workplace.

Members may wish to refer to:

• IMCA “Are you prepared” video Preventing slips and trips
• IMCA poster Take care on the stairs
• Person Injured By Mooring Lines [trying to step from one vessel to another whilst talking on a mobile. This anonymous person is now immortalised in IMCA video SEL 038 Mooring incidents]
• Recent Slips, Trips And Falls Involving Stairs
• Lost Time Injury – Person Slipped On The Stairs And Broke His Arm