The Body's weight is completely transferred o the front foot. The Causes of Falls on Steps One major cause of falls occurs when the walker oversteps - swings the forward foot too far out. The front foot the foot lands on the riser's edge rather than on the tread. The foot is already angled downward in order to absorb the shock, so when weight is shifted, it slides forward causing the walker to lose balance and to fall. If the walker oversteps greatly, the front foot would land two treads down instead of one and cause the controlled fall to become uncontrolled and to cause the walker to lose balance.
Falls also occur when the walker understeps.
In this case, the stride is not sufficiently long and the heel catches of the edge of the tread. Again, the walker is pitched off balance and falls forward. In order to avoid overstepping, the walker must properly perceive the location of next tread.