Each year, nearly 11 million people are injured, victims of a domestic accident. Among them, 4.5 million go to the emergency room, of which 500,000 will have to be hospitalized. Domestic accidents are the 3rd cause of death in France with 20,000 deaths counted each year, and the sad 1st cause among children under 15, who are the most exposed to them along with the elderly. This is mainly why it is essential to ensure that the right actions are taken to prevent these accidents and protect the most vulnerable from the dangers of the home. Here are the most common household accidents and some tips for good habits to operate.
The domestic accident belongs to the category of accidents of everyday life. From a simple scratch to serious consequences such as a more or less significant loss of mobility, or even death, it is not differentiated by its degree of seriousness, but simply by the fact that it intervenes in the victim's home, that it takes place in the dwelling or in its immediate surroundings.
In general, accidents of everyday life are part of unintentional injuries (TNI) alongside traffic accidents and accidents at work. These first are considered "unintentional", although they can sometimes be due to negligence. Apart from domestic accidents, this category also includes:
Every year, there are no less than 40,000 deaths due to accidents in everyday life, and several million emergency room visits, representing a cost of care of several tens of billions of euros...
It should be noted that suicides or attempted suicides, as well as intra-family violence are not part of domestic accidents since they are considered intentional trauma.
Also, without it being overconsumption, the side effects due to the ingestion of drugs are not considered as an accident of everyday life.
Here is the list of the 10 most common domestic accidents accompanied by some tips for safe use, all of which is not exhaustive as there are often overlooked dangers in a home.
If, without much surprise, they rise to the top of the most common domestic accidents, they still represent 80% of the accidents of everyday life of the over 65s, and 60% of the under 15s. In children, they are mostly superficial, while in seniors, they are one of the first factors of death.
How to avoid them?
More common in children, they occur with the mouthing of small objects. Also, they will often be the cause of infant mortality, which has been decreasing significantly in recent years.
How to avoid them?
In summer, they take the sad lead of domestic accidents among children. 20 cm of water and a handful of seconds are enough to rush towards disaster. Beware of the phenomenon of dry drowning which can occur up to 48 hours after the accident. The water entering the lungs gently causes breathing difficulties until they are completely blocked. It is imperative to go to the emergency room and monitor your child's state of health in the days that follow.
How to avoid them?
We immediately think of food poisoning and they are obviously a large part of it. Also, for seniors in particular, they are more the result of a drug overdose or an administration error.
How to avoid them?
They are still too common:the tail of the frying pan protruding from the worktop, or the hot plate of the oven left to cool on the table... 27% of burns take place in the kitchen, the victims of which are children aged 1 at 5 years for ¼ of the cases. Their small size often makes the accident dramatic due to the fall of an object or a hot liquid.
How to avoid them?
The kitchen knife, the cutter in the garage, the secateurs in the garden, the scissors in the cupboard… Cuts often happen, more generally to the hands. Depending on their importance, this can take you straight to the emergency room if there is a section.
How to avoid them?
Fingers in the doors of course! Children are the most victims of this type of accident. It is important to teach them not to slip their fingers through the door frame and not to slam doors.
How to avoid them?
Our domestic friends can sometimes bite, and given the small size of young children, they can occur on the neck or face. It is important to properly educate your animal, and to properly educate all members of the household to respect the animal by reminding as soon as necessary that it is neither a stuffed animal nor a doll.
How to avoid them?
Apart from a few scratching sessions in perspective, nothing too bad when it comes to our ugly enemies the mosquitoes. On the other hand, when wasps, hornets or horseflies are present, the sting can quickly become much more dangerous.
How to avoid them?
Fingers in the socket or the phone near the bath are unfortunately disaster scenarios that still occur far too often today. Socket covers exist for older housings, and new sockets are already equipped with them. However, there is still far too much negligence around this risk which will often be fatal.
How to avoid it?
If fortunately, the majority of the consequences of these accidents are not of the order of vital urgency, 20,000 deaths are still counted each year, or 55 people per day who lose their lives following a domestic accident. Figure more chilling still:the domestic accidents are the first cause of death of the children of less than 15 years. This is enough to leave you speechless, and to challenge our consciences. While some are “wrong place, wrong time”, many could be avoided with more vigilance, precaution and prevention.
The right daily gestures must be adopted, and in general, children under the age of 5 should never be left alone, even for a moment, and make sure they are made aware of the risks of accidents on a daily basis. so that they fully integrate the notion of caution and safety.
To support the right actions, a brochure "Protect your child from domestic accidents" is available on the Public Health France website to give advice and invite you to take the most basic precautions to protect children from the many dangers of the home.
