Hidden Dangers

The website of the British firm Health and Safety Management Consultants offers a list of 'hidden dangers'. For instance, did you know that 10,700 people in the UK are injured every year while putting their socks on? That two women have been killed by lightning hitting the underwiring of their bras? That more people are injured by flowerpots every year than by hedge trimmers? And that "the number of injuries inflicted by vegetables remains unacceptably high, at 13,132"? Most of these statistics seem to come from the Home and Leisure Accident Statistics Report produced by the Royal Sciety for the Prevention of Accidents. So they're probably fairly credible. But obviously the figures don't give any indication of how serious these injuries were... or the context in which the accidents occurred.

Health/Medicine

Posted on Sun Mar 27, 2005


Comments

Bears: The UK may be devoid of grizzly bears, but we do have Teddy Bears. More people are killed by teddy bears here than by grizzly bears in those countries which have them.
Hmm... demonic possesion? Or maybe just babies choking on the eyeballs when they fall off. I think I prefer the image of a teddy bear chasing children through the house with a cleaver.
Posted by Citizen Premier  on  Sun Mar 27, 2005  at  09:25 PM
Here in North Carolina, we seem to have a problem with accidentally swallowing toothbrushes!? http://archsurg.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/123/3/382

Don't even ask me how they do it. I don't wanna know!
Posted by Captain DaFt  on  Sun Mar 27, 2005  at  10:14 PM
I think the whole 'lightning striking underwires' thing is bogus in and of itself..

Trust me, a few inches of metal isn't going to affect a lightning bolt already determined to smite someone. It may be that the bolt happens to hit in the chest, and so the wire is blamed, but still...
Posted by Bobcat  on  Mon Mar 28, 2005  at  12:07 AM
...I'll be much more careful around my tea cozy now.
Posted by Maegan  on  Mon Mar 28, 2005  at  07:24 AM
I want to know more about these injuries inflicted by vegetables.
"Tonight, on the Fox Network ... When Vegetables Attack!"
One more reason not to be a vegetarian, I guess. You can never tell what those zucchinis are thinking.
Posted by Big Gary C  on  Mon Mar 28, 2005  at  10:41 AM
" ... Trust me, a few inches of metal isn't going to affect a lightning bolt already determined to smite someone."

Probably, if lightning does happen to hit someone wearing a wired bra, it causes burns where the wires were. I agree, though, that doesn't mean the wires caused the lightning strike.
Posted by Big Gary C  on  Mon Mar 28, 2005  at  10:44 AM
Besides, that would be the same as saying you're in danger of being struck by lightening if you have metal fillings, zippers, rings...and it doesn't seem like people are being struck down because of them.
Posted by Maegan  on  Mon Mar 28, 2005  at  11:01 AM
Here's another nice statistic: you have a better chance to be struck by lightning than to win the jackpot.
Posted by Tychikus  on  Tue Mar 29, 2005  at  12:18 AM
Check out their unsafe conditions page.

See anything familiar?

😕

I still like the one with the guy holding the target up. It would make a lot more sense if he wasn't sitting in front of a building like that, though...
Posted by Rod  on  Tue Mar 29, 2005  at  12:53 AM
Know exactly which one you mean...Wonder if they check their facts before publishing!
Posted by Smerk  on  Tue Mar 29, 2005  at  01:11 AM
Bill Bryson lists a large number of similar injuries in the USA. It is in his book Notes from a Large Country.

I seem to remember a lot of people injuring themselves with nightwear.
Posted by Rob Youg  on  Wed Mar 30, 2005  at  08:28 PM
Yes, these accidents are seem to be came from a silly one but still its results are unpredictable. I have also heard some of these accidents among all i cannot forget one. A old man here my house was lying and was smoking he forgot to fire off the smoke and he slept the next morning only his bones were found in the place where he slept.
Posted by hinduja  on  Sun Jul 13, 2008  at  11:52 PM
Citizen, I cannot remember myself chasing children but I do occasionally scare adults.

http://www.teddybearhouse.co.uk/
Posted by Teddy Bear  on  Wed Sep 03, 2008  at  05:56 AM
Commenting is not available in this channel entry.