AN IN-DEPTH INVESTIGATION OF 40 STAIRWAY ACCIDENTS AND THE STAIR SAFETY LITERATURE

Each year thousands of people trip, stumble, and/or fall on stairs. Th is paper reviews prominent literature on stairway safety, and discusse s findings from a preliminary survey of 40 in-depth stair accident cas es. Variables reviewed and discussed include personal/demographic, ext ernal, and dimensional. From these findings and those of other researc hers, it is hypothesized that the greatest problem with accident stair ways is not individual (i.e., user) or external variables, but dimensi onal inconsistency inherent in some stairways. Areas for future resear ch are also discussed.