Whenever you’re investing in a new pedestrian bridge, the two factors that are likely at the front of your mind are the visual appeal and the functionality of the solution you’re working with. Naturally, you want something that will improve the look of a particular place. It also needs to function in a literal sense as a bridge for people to walk over.
But safety should also be a major concern, particularly when you consider what a disastrous situation even something as seemingly straightforward as a slip and fall can be for all involved.
Safety Considerations of Pedestrian Bridges: Slip and Falls and More
The term “slip and fall” itself actually only tells one small part of a much larger story. People won’t just be injured – under the wrong circumstances this can literally be fatal.
According to one recent study, slip and falls make up roughly one million emergency room visits every year. This is actually one of the leading causes of emergency room visits, coming in at roughly 12%.
Slip and falls don’t just cause immediate and often severe pain. Victims can suffer from broken bones, tears to their tendons or ligaments, and even long-term nerve damage. Thankfully, at TerraTread we’ve taken steps to help mitigate risk from these conditions as much as possible. Rather than dealing with uneven wooden walkways that are more likely to cause accidents, you get access to durable concrete pedestrian bridges that don’t have any of these issues at all. While accidents can still occur, they’ll be far less frequent than they would with alternatives.
Of course, increased safety is just one of the many benefits that our innovative designs bring with them when it comes to pedestrian walkways. We also help our clients save money by offering bridges and walkways that have a substantially increased lifespan. Our products are guaranteed to last between 50 and 75 years, or roughly four times the lifespan of wooden walkways. This can help save an enormous amount of money over that period.
Likewise, our pedestrian bridges in particular are known for their reduced maintenance requirements. You can eliminate the need for time-consuming (not to mention expensive) maintenance from replacing wood boards that invariably split and warm as the cold winter weather arrives.
So regardless of which perspective you have, it’s clear that pedestrian bridges are far too important to take for granted. You need to invest in a solution that can not only improve your environment from an aesthetic perspective, but from a functional and safety perspective as well. At TerraTread, we aim to help as many people as possible accomplish precisely that on a daily basis.
If you’d like to find out more information about the dangers of slip and falls in public areas and the benefits that our pedestrian bridges bring with them, or if you’d just like to talk about your own needs with someone in a bit more detail, please don’t hesitate to contact TerraTread today.