Advisen

Construction industry leads others in slips, trips and falls: Data Spotlight

Slips, trips, and falls are a leading cause of insurance claims for businesses, affecting virtually every industry. A look inside Advisen’s database shows which industries and states have the highest frequency and severity of these claims.

Looking at General Liability losses in Advisen’s loss database that contain the words “slip,” “trip,” or “fall,” the Construction industry had the greatest frequency of losses, followed by Retail Trade and Real Estate.

Construction also accounted for the greatest severity of General Liability slip, trip and fall losses – more than $400 million in total loss costs – followed by Retail Trade and Real Estate at lower amounts. The median loss cost of a General Liability sip, trip and fall loss was $1.1 million in Retail Trade, $970,000 in Construction and $850,000 in Real Estate, according to Advisen loss data (Advisen was acquired by Zywave in November).

Slips, Trips and Falls by Industry

These types of claims are most frequent in New York, California, Pennsylvania, Texas and Florida. New York, California, Pennsylvania, Texas and Florida also had some of the highest total loss costs associated with slip, trip and fall claims – as well as Illinois, Alabama, Georgia, Delaware, and New Jersey.

The maps below have been adjusted to show a balanced distribution of losses across case frequency and severity ranges. This allows a clearer image of the different levels of severity and frequency by state, which would otherwise be dominated by high totals in New York, Texas, California, and Florida.

Slip, Trip and Fall Claims by State

California, New York, Florida, Texas and Pennsylvania account for the greatest frequency of questionable claims as well. Fraudulent slip, trip and fall claims rose 30% in New York and Florida from 2017 to 2019, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB).

Questionable claims related to slips, trips and falls are common, with scam artists typically targeting companies they believe have “deep pockets” – most often retail stores, restaurants and parking lots, according to the NICB.

Slip, Trip and Fall Claim Outcomes

Looking at the outcomes of slip, trip and fall claims, settlements occurred less frequently than jury awards – 36% compared to 47%, respectively. However, settlements from General Liability slip, trip and fall claims accounted for a greater percentage of loss severity – 59% compared to 41%, according to Advisen’s loss database.

Data Journalist Rebecca Gainsburg can be reached at Rebecca.gainsburg@zywave.com.

To learn more about Advisen’s data call (212) 897-4800 or email ADV_Support@zywave.com.

*Advisen’s loss data is curated from a wide variety of public sources. Our collection efforts focus on larger and more significant cases. For this reason, the figures in this article may not be fully representative of all cases of this type.