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[AaronLS]

I had read suggestions of putting floor grates below wells to prevent dwarves from falling down the well shaft.  However, this causes the well to become dry...  So a bit of a conundrum there.  Can dwarves really fall into a well?

[Leonidas]

In earlier versions, dwarves used to fall all the time. They would fall down well, off bridges, down stairs. It was a big deal back in the 2D version, and a source of tremendous fun.

From what I can tell that has been fixed for a long time. In versions going back at least a year, I've never seen a dwarf fall off anything except in combat, or while being pushed by water. Still, I put a staircase exit out of my cistern, just in case. Maybe they've been falling and I just haven't noticed.

[Rose]

I haven't seen it happen myself, but it would need a fight to take place next to the well.

[Psieye]

I haven't seen it happen myself, but it would need a fight to take place next to the well.

Or a flooding incident. That's the only time I get dwarves falling into the well's cistern.

[Noodz]

I also think emergency stairs are the best option. Make a floor 1z right below the well (you can always dig a u bend to let water through) with upstairs just beside. You can always cover the stairs with a hatch.

But when thinking about it, any fall cause a dwarf to become stunned, and a stunned dwarf might drown anyway. At the very least the stairs might let you recover the corpse.

[Quietust]

Dwarves have never been prone to falling into wells - the worst that could happen would be to dodge into one during combat.

[Rose]

any fall cause a dwarf to become stunned, and a stunned dwarf might drown anyway.

Actually, I've had a dwarf fall asleep under water, then wake up. he didn't drown the entire time he was in there.

[MarcAFK]

maybe he floated?

[Stargazer]

The most battle-hardened dwarf in my military, the Captain of my first squad, had suddenly and inexplicably drowned. I had no clue what happened, so I search for his corpse and discover, much to my chagrin, that he had died in his very own barracks. You see, I had built the barracks to be self-sufficient, meaning there was a well located inside to provide my dwarfs with water during a siege. His body, as you can imagine, was at the bottom of that well. From what I can guess, he either jumped in while dodging or was knocked in during a rather vigorous sparring session. Of course, my dwarves claim it was an "accident", but it sure is suspicious that the dwarf I promoted to replace him was not only the second most experienced dwarf in my military, but also the Captain's favorite sparring partner and best friend...I suspect foul play.

Needless to say, the well was dismantled and removed to prevent any further "mishaps".

[i2amroy]

I usually just have an emergency stairwell leading back out, I mean if its a man-made cistern then you need a way to get the miner dwarf down and back up again anyways, so I tend to just utilize that as an emergency exit. I personally have never seen a dwarf fall in though.

[Sir Crashalot]

My wells are usually part of my hospital, I make 1 tile alcoves at the end to place them.
It works out well (no pun) for me because it gets most use there for when injured Dwarves need watering and doctors clean themselves up.
No chance of people falling in by accident and if your Dwarves are fighting down there then they are probably doomed anyway. 



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There's my hospital with the wells in the room at the top, as you can see by the blood at the centre well, it gets a lot of use. 
The lever there is just to cut off the flow of water into the cistern, as it is full the lever doesn't have much more use unless I wish to flood my fort. 

[Leonidas]

Based on this discussion, I removed a phrase in the wiki that made it sound like dwarves falling in wells is a serious danger. The danger is in combat or flooding near any drop into water, and has nothing to do with wells specifically.

[GreatWyrmGold]

any fall cause a dwarf to become stunned, and a stunned dwarf might drown anyway.

Actually, I've had a dwarf fall asleep under water, then wake up. he didn't drown the entire time he was in there.

And I've had a miner decide he was sleepy while in an aquifer, climb out, fall asleep on the edge, and get swept back into the aquifer by some overflow from the less-than-perfect drainage system. He drowned, the idiot. Urist at its finest. All it lacked was being on fire.
Ahem. Anyways, that kind of stuff isn't certain.

About the actual question, I've found that putting wells at the edge of stuff and not right in the middle of dining rooms works good for not-drowning. Also, reconsider having a waterfall fall into a well in the middle of the main meeting area.

[Rose]

ah, but you see, yours was asleep when he went into the water.

mine fell asleep underwater. I think the act of falling asleep canceled the drowning.

going mad has done it too.

[AaronLS]

ah, but you see, yours was asleep when he went into the water.

mine fell asleep underwater. I think the act of falling asleep canceled the drowning.

going mad has done it too.

Reminds me of the Bugs Bunny episode where he refuses to acknowledge gravity.  "I am too busy going insane to acknowledge the mechanics of drowning."

Thanks everyone.