Slip & Falls in Your Workplace

A case of tough grapes

I attended an accident call where a person had slipped on a grape falling over causing serious injury to them and they were going to sue the company. Believe it or not but slips and falls are fairly common in workplaces and need a good system of investigation and report management to reduce the amount of false claims.

Tough break

I was the closest response member so I took the call and headed in. Having worked in insurance fraud investigations I always take note when someone states they are suing immediately after an injury, because most people worry about being embarrassed when they fall over and don't want to sue.

If this person was trying to make a false claim it was their bad day because I was handling the accident investigation for this one instead of a lesser experienced member.

On arrival at the scene

As I enter the location I immediately scan the floor and position of everything nearby, including the position of the injured person for my report.

They stated that they were walking along as normal before they stepped on a loose grape. The grape burst causing them to skid on the floor and fall to the ground on their knees, bruising them heavily.

I listened intensively and let them tell their statement while at the same time I am making close observations regarding the nature of the injuries, the type of surface, shoe condition, and location of any carried items.

Taking good evidence photographs

I had a second team member with me who was tasked to take the photographs for the report and they worked quietly in the background according to our accident investigation procedures. They know to respond and take photographs of whatever I point out without being noticed.

In this investigation I discreetly pointed to the shoes being worn at the time of the slip and fall because I wanted a photograph of the soles.

Giving them a chance to change their statement

After taking down their statement I asked if they were sure of their statement and if I could ask some questions to confirm in detail the events of the injury.

I pointed out to them that the grape they state was stepped on was still intact and loose on the floor. It was clear that it was intact in every way. Were they sure they had stepped on the grape and not just slipped on the floor when walking.

They were adamant that they stepped on that grape but it was just tough and didn't break.

Collecting the evidence

In completing my report I noted the condition of the tough grape which I had collected, a photograph of the shoes that showed signs of heavy wear but no grape juice or liquid marks at all, and a copy of the surveillance footage showing her running along the floor chasing her child before the slip.

Report complete and the company was not sued.