11 fatal accidents a week in the home
September 5th, 2009 at 9:10 am by David FarrarThe Herald reports:
An average of 11 people died each week from accidents in their homes in the year to the end of June – an annual total of 573. That compares with the road toll last year of 366.
Of course people spend more time at home than driving, but that figure seems incredibly high.
The article gives a breakdown of total accidents in the home, but not of fatal accidents. I would be fascinated to see a breakdown of the almost 600 fatal home accidents.
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September 5th, 2009 at 9:18 am
That’s convinced – I’m leaving home.
Vote:September 5th, 2009 at 9:24 am
Thats about 16% of the population – theres been some massaging of figures to create a shock horror, hand wringing story IMHO
Vote:September 5th, 2009 at 9:25 am
I suspect most deaths at home would be the elderly who trip or fall and then die from complications as a result of the fall. And you have fire deaths, which seem to be about one a week.
Vote:September 5th, 2009 at 9:33 am
So people are actually safer in their car than in their house.
Sack the Road Safety Nazis now.
Vote:September 5th, 2009 at 9:51 am
“The kitchen is the most dangerous room in the house”
Vote:ACC will target Home Handymen???
ACC need to have a think
September 5th, 2009 at 9:54 am
clearly every lawnmower, weedeater, hammer, ladder and garden trowel should now come in plain packages bearing only health warnings
Vote:September 5th, 2009 at 9:55 am
Obviously we need Home Safety Police, people whose job it is to come into peoples homes and inspect them on a regular basis, perhaps twice a year, issue Warrants of Home Safety, give home owners lectures on safety within the home, issue rectification notices where dangerous faults or or practices are evident, and then have a follow-up inspection a month or so later. Then, if the problem/s haven’t been fixed, the Home Safety Police would either issue a fine, a court summons, or arrest the offenders.
Vote:September 5th, 2009 at 9:59 am
I am very suspicious of figures that claim ### deaths are caused by xyz every year. The rationale is often shonky.
For example, because smoking reduces average life expectancy you could claim that every natural death of a person who has ever smoked is caused by smoking, because they would (statistics say) have lived an extra few days if they had not smoked.
In this way you can ultimately claim that 5 billion deaths a year are caused by factors x, y and z – despite the fact that there are not 5 billion deaths a year.
Vote:September 5th, 2009 at 10:09 am
s.russell: yes – a fact used by the anti-smokers to force their opinions on us.
Vote:September 5th, 2009 at 10:16 am
Also s.russell, for every cause of death that decreases, another has to increase because the death rate will always total 100%.
All the people that might have died of smoking at 50, go on to die in a car crash at 60.
You simply can’t reduce the death rate of heart & lung disease, cancer, and accidents without an increasing the rate of murder or something else.
Therefore increasing accident rates can be an indicator of a healthier population!
Vote:September 5th, 2009 at 11:56 am
** News flash**
Prime Minister John Key responded today to the shocking numbers of accidents in and around the home.
“There is little doubt that these shocking numbers closely correlate with the use of various implements, varying from knives to telephones and stepladders.” Stated the PM during a press conference at the Beehive. “Therefore, the time has now come for a blanket ban on the use of everything that might directly or indirectly be related to a higher probability of accidents.”
The Prime Minister announced a commercial response to this emergency. As of 1 September 2010 the Government will establish a new venture: “Kiwi Cryogenics”, under the Protection of All Citizens against Accidents Act 2010, for which a Bill will be introduced to the House next week.
“KiwiCry” will start deep-freezing and safely storing New Zealanders from 1 December 2010, starting with the oldest citizens.
Vote:“It is expected that it will take approximately 5 years to treat the entire population” said Mr Key.
“The immediate advantage of the legislation is a sharp reduction in health care costs and pension payments, while we can guarantee that the incidence of accidents will have decreased by 50% in about 2013″.
September 5th, 2009 at 12:15 pm
And with an average of 346 each week; approx 18,000 annually, of infants murdered in their mother’s womb.
Now there’s a figure to get REALLY concerned about. But do we?
Vote:September 5th, 2009 at 12:20 pm
I wonder how many of those accidents happen when the person is talking on a cell or portable phone. You know – talking and trying to cook or lift things, or while up a ladder. Cell phones should be banned at home immediately. Ladders too. And power tools. And hand tools because have you ever hit your thumb with a hammer? In fact, ban private houses. We shoudl all live in State Safety Zones with nice padded rooms, all wearing short tunics, all be beautiful and killed when we reach 30.
Vote:September 5th, 2009 at 1:29 pm
People who mave not worked in ‘physical’ workplaces do not have a proper appreciation of workplace type health and safety issues. Therefore they are inclined to have unsafe work habits at home and not frequently cause ‘near misses’. Any attempts to remonstrate with such people is met with laughjter and derision. For example backing a car out of a driveway to avoid a tight three point turn is potentially a most hazardous act.
Some years back, I saw a very senior legal person clearing spouting at his holiday home using a ladder placed in a precarious way. The people he had dealings with I think would have been horrified because if he had an accident and was off work for a while it would have caused very serious invonvenience or worse for quite a few people.
Vote:September 5th, 2009 at 1:45 pm
Ban Homes!
and while you’re at it ban Holmes.
Vote:September 5th, 2009 at 2:23 pm
Ban wombs!
Vote:September 5th, 2009 at 7:07 pm
Nationally, 658,000 people suffered household injuries, which cost $641 million – an average of $975 each.
Must be more… I suffered two injuries today – one when I badly twisted my knee and the other one when I was sawing and sawed my leg. But I`m not running off to A&E over a twist and some blood on a saw leg as it will come right eventually, so I guess I wont be included in the stats..
Vote:September 5th, 2009 at 8:58 pm
Payment of ACC benefits has undoubtedly increased the number of ‘accidents’; a Doctors visit for a checkup can certainly be billed out as a twisted knee or whatever and ACC pays. Whenever the government or its agency offers free or subsidized service the professionals and clients conspire to rort the system; it is human nature it seems. No ACC and the number of household injuries would reduce tenfold.
Vote:September 5th, 2009 at 9:19 pm
Dave @ 7.07,
Vote:Do you feel ok about being injured today? I mean think of the stress for yourself and your family. Someone must have seen the blood and that will mean stress for them as well. A&E want to diagnose your injury and send you off to a specialist.
This was after all an accident and not self inflicted or progressive
September 5th, 2009 at 9:26 pm
I had a tenant who had a fatal accident at home in the garage. He was doing some work on his car engine and accidently left the engine running and forgot to open the roller door. Really tragic, because not only did he forget the engine was running he accidently dropped some drop cloths that were rolled up against the crack under the door as well. Tragic.
Vote:September 5th, 2009 at 10:47 pm
“Fascinated’ is perhaps not the best use of words.
Vote:September 5th, 2009 at 11:08 pm
Typical fucking statistical garbage from an organisation trying to justify it’s bloated existence. Another report, another series of findings and another fucking action plan to address some perceived problem that is a figment of their imaginations and a direct result of deceptive statistical manipulation. These campaigns are a total joke. I mean seriously, what did the horrendously expensive campaign with the dude falling off the ladder, woman falling through the glass table and man slipping coming out of the shower actually achieve? Nothing I would bet.
Vote:Just more pen pushing wasters trying to justify their existence and bludging off the taxpayer.
September 6th, 2009 at 7:23 am
kaya nailed it.
ACC is a bloated bureaucracy desperate to justify its spendthrift ways. This campaign seeks to influence Nick Smith and the SSC, not Bruce making a set of coasters in his shed.
Vote:September 6th, 2009 at 9:16 am
kaya @ 11.08 yesterday, and Flashman @ 7.23 today,
Vote:So true. But when challenged ACC just go pan faced and stonewall you.
September 6th, 2009 at 10:06 am
We don’t need ACC to pay for horrendously expensive media campaigns, we only need to email a link to the Darwin awards to everyone.
http://www.darwinawards.com/darwin/
There – lessons taught with millions saved for the taxpayer, now can I have my quarter of a million dollar salary plus bonuses please? Too easy.
Vote:September 6th, 2009 at 1:05 pm
400 people a week injured by tress, plants and bushes. Really?
Vote:September 7th, 2009 at 9:30 am
banning cellphones altogether isn’t such a dumb idea. They give you brain cancer. Ask any neurosurgeon.
Vote: