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Anatomy of a slip and fall

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Anatomy of a slip and fall

Slipping and falling is really an act of nature that we have little control of, OR DO WE?

In a normal walking condition, a human moves the weight of the body over the center of gravity, falls forward catching himself with the foot and leg that moves forward, so each step we take is actually a controlled fall and stopped by the foot and leg.  The leg and foot that catches the forward momentum depends on friction between the foot and the floor to hold the body.  If the floor is slippery, then the foot is unable to hold and continues to slid forward until either the body falls or it find some grip.

 When something unexpected happens to interrupt your normal pattern for maintaining balance, you fall For instance, an abrupt change of direction can cause you to fall Once your body is in motion, either walking or running, and you veer quickly in another direction, a great deal of force is applied against the outside foot. The body's momentum is trying to force it to continue in the normal direction. Unless there is a high level of friction between your shoe and the floor, you'll slip.   Friction is required to stay on your feet. On a frictionless surface it would be impossible to walk. Between any two materials, a certain amount of friction exists which results in resistance when one of the materials is pulled or pushed across the other. Friction is required to stay on your feet. On a frictionless surface it would be impossible to walk. Between any two materials, a certain amount of friction exists which results in resistance when one of the materials is pulled or pushed across the other.

When you take a step on the floor you expect a certain amount of resistance. The sole of the shoe and the floor surface usually have a fairly high percentage of friction.  But an oil slick, water spill, ice patch "or even a scrap of paper changes that. No two surfaces are ever perfectly smooth. There are microscopic projections on a shoe sole and the walking surface that interlock when one slides over the other. But a spilled liquid fills in the indentations and holds one surface apart from the other. When this occurs, friction is greatly reduced, your foot slips out from under you, and you fall. But when fine grit or an abrasive is spread over the liquid, it increases the bite and interlock - friction - between the surfaces coming into contact.