Did you know that footwear type can impact the likelihood of recovering from a slip? Research indicates that footwear that is securely attached to the foot (such as a running shoe) demonstrates a lower slip severity than flip-flops when walking over contaminated, slippery floors. What this means is that if a slip is initiated, the pedestrian’s foot may slide farther and faster when walking in flip-flops compared to running shoes, increasing the risk of the slip leading to a fall. Since a flip-flop is not secured to the foot in the same way as lace-up footwear is, there is the added potential for motion between the pedestrian’s foot and the sandal footbed, which could contribute to a loss of balance or impact the recovery response.

Slips, trips and falls may seem simple, but there are numerous factors to consider when investigating these incidents. Click on the chart to see if you are getting the full picture.

Kathleen Denbeigh B.Sc.E, M.A.Sc., specializes in personal injury investigations within the Biomechanics, Human Factors, and Personal Injury Assessment Group at 30 Forensic Engineering. She possesses a diverse academic background in Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering from Queen’s University and the University of Toronto, where her research focused on slips and falls with emphasis on the design of winter footwear. Kathleen has investigated the human and environmental factors associated with personal injury incidents such as slips, trips, and falls and product-failure related injuries.

Brittany Sinclair B.Sc., P.Eng. professional experience includes conducting research for the Department of National Defense which focused on future small arms research projects and examining shooter response to weapon recoil and shooter performance. During her time with 30 Forensic Engineering, Brittany has conducted technical investigations involving the assessment of injury causation, including: pedestrian injuries, workplaces injuries, slips, trips and falls, head injuries, and injuries sustained in motor vehicle collisions. Brittany graduated from the University of Waterloo with a Bachelor of Applied Science in Mechanical Engineering, with a Biomechanics Option.