Environmental factors encapsulate the
interplay of individuals' physical conditions
and the surrounding environment, including
home hazards and hazardous features
in public environment. These factors are
not by themselves cause of falls – rather,
the interaction between other factors and
their exposure to environmental ones.
Home hazards include narrow steps, slippery
surfaces of stairs, looser rugs and
insufficient lighting (29). Poor building
design, slippery floor, cracked or uneven
sidewalks, and poor lightening in public
places are such hazards to injurious falls
(see Chapter 3 for further information).