Role of Winter Weather Conditions and Slipperiness on Tourists’ Accidents in Finland

• Main Authors: Élise Lépy, Sinikka Rantala, Antti Huusko, Pentti Nieminen, Marjo Hippi, Arja Rautio
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2016-08-01
• Series: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
• Subjects: climate; slipping hazards; tourist patients; extremity injuries; weather
• Online Access: http://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/13/8/822

(1) Background: In Finland, slippery snowy or icy ground surface conditions can be quite hazardous to human health during wintertime. We focused on the impacts of the variability in weather conditions on tourists’ health via documented accidents during the winter season in the Sotkamo area. We attempted to estimate the slipping hazard in a specific context of space and time focusing on the weather and other possible parameters, responsible for fluctuations in the numbers of injuries/accidents; (2) Methods: We used statistical distributions with graphical illustrations to examine the distribution of visits to Kainuu Hospital by non-local patients and their characteristics/causes; graphs to illustrate the distribution of the different characteristics of weather conditions; questionnaires and interviews conducted among health care and safety personnel in Sotkamo and Kuusamo; (3) Results: There was a clear seasonal distribution in the numbers and types of extremity injuries of non-local patients. While the risk of slipping is emphasized, other factors leading to injuries are evaluated; and (4) Conclusions: The study highlighted the clear role of wintery weather conditions as a cause of extremity injuries even though other aspects must also be considered. Future scenarios, challenges and adaptive strategies are also discussed from the viewpoint of climate change.