Stairway hazards are often tied to how properties are managed and how foot traffic behaves day-to-day. In Costa Mesa, common real-world scenarios include:
- Shared-entry apartments and condos: uneven treads, loose handrails, lighting that’s adequate some hours but not others, and delayed repairs after maintenance requests.
- Retail and mixed-use storefronts: debris tracked in from parking areas, stair edges that wear down from heavy use, and blocked or poorly marked steps.
- Workplaces and service buildings: employee stair access that isn’t treated as a safety priority—especially when contractors are working or when access is temporarily rerouted.
- Evening and event crowds: after-hours lighting issues or clutter increases the odds of a misstep, particularly on exterior stairs leading from parking lots.
When a fall happens during busy periods, it’s easy for the scene to be “cleaned up” quickly—sometimes before photos are taken or before an incident report is properly documented.


