Appendix 3 The Risks of Domestic Accidents Related to Products and Equipment1
From childhood to old age, domestic accidents (such as falls or drowning) occur during household activities, such as housework or home improvement, or at school. We also cannot forget about outside activities such as playing sports, and especially downhill winter sports, where there is an increased risk2.
Products or facilities involved in accidents in everyday life primarily include: security gates, bicycles, football goals, lighters without safety mechanisms, highchairs, fireworks, beds, bunk beds, bath seats, car seats, hazardous substances, changing tables, bath chairs, walkers for babies, etc.
A3.1. Death statistics
The number of domestic accidents is underestimated by not only health professionals, but also product designers and certainly consumers.
More than 21,000 people die per year due to accidents in their everyday lives3.
From simple burns or cuts, to fatal falls, Santé publique France (Public Health France) estimated that 11–12 million people each year are the victims of an accident at home. Among them, five million go to the emergency room and 500,000 are hospitalized (Durand 2017).
It has been determined that cancer and cardiovascular diseases can be the cause of trauma and accidents4; however, we ignore the fact that accidents of everyday life can also occur, which can potentially cause years of damage to people’s lives, since they often occur in children and young people. The media ...