![Image of Winter Lab](/corporate/News/PublishingImages/Pages/how_you_can_stay_upright_this_snovember/Winter_slips1.jpg)
In partnership with Canadian apparel retailer Mark's, researchers in WinterLab at Toronto Rehab are aiming to develop a labelling system for winter footwear. Photo: UHN
Falling on ice is a big problem. It increases visits to Emergency, can keep elderly adults housebound during the winter and may also cause serious injuries – especially among older Canadians.
That's why four storeys below Toronto Rehab's University Centre is WinterLab – one of the simulated environments that is part of the iDAPT Centre for Rehabilitation Research. Year-round, researchers in WinterLab are dedicated to preventing slips and falls in wintry conditions.
![Image of Winter Lab](/corporate/News/PublishingImages/Pages/how_you_can_stay_upright_this_snovember/Winter_slips2.jpg)
Located four storeys below Toronto Rehab's University Centre, Winterlab is one of the simulated environments that comprise the iDAPT Centre for Rehabilitation Research. Photo: UHN
The focus is testing winter footwear in order to determine the safest design that will keep Canadians upright in a range of cold conditions: wet ice, dry ice, snow-covered ice and ice on slopes. Through a partnership with Canadian apparel retailer
Mark's, Dr. Geoff Fernie, Institute Director, Research, Toronto Rehab, and his team are aiming to develop a labelling system for winter footwear that can help inform consumers what product will help keep them safe.