Tis the season to be jolly, but it’s also a time when accidents can happen more frequently.
At TP Safety Services, we want to help you stay safe this holiday season by sharing some important statistics and tips to avoid common Christmas accidents.
Join us on this 24-day journey as we countdown to Christmas with a daily safety fact.
Day 1 – Falling for Christmas
Statistics show that 1 in 50 people fall out of the loft while getting decorations down (1).
Day 2 – Fully Cooked
Cooking incidents during the festive season are responsible for nearly 50% of all accidental fires during December in the UK (2).
Day 3 – Shocking Statistics
Approximately 350 people a year are injured by Christmas tree lights, including falls while they are being put up, swallowing the bulbs, and electric shocks and burns (3).
Day 4 – Hot Takes
On average, during the Christmas season most fires in homes are caused by candles. With 36% of all “thermal incidents” starting in the bedroom (4).
Day 5 – Kitchen Nightmares
49% of people that have made Christmas diner have suffered an accident. 11% have spilled hot fat, 1 in 5 have cut themselves and 8% of those between 18 and 24 make a trip to A&E (5).
Day 6 – Stressing about Santa
More than 4 in 10 (41%) said they feel the pressure to make this Christmas extra special. Among those trying to make this year a festive season to remember, as many as 7 in 10 said the burden is negatively affecting their mental health.
In addition to the 31% already suffering from sleepless nights, 13% feel likely to experience more headaches and 1 in 5 will feel more irritable. With the most common struggles the public feel during the festive period including feeling overwhelmed (15%), anxious (12%) and tired (12%) (6).
Day 7 – Sales Rush
It is often stated that 700,000 people have been injured in sales rushes around the holiday season. This number includes a culmination of injuries from various incidents in shopping centres in the UK such as tripping and falling, being trampled by crowds, and accidents involving shopping carts (7).
Day 8 – Driving Home For Christmas
On average the number of traffic fatalities in December are 3.4% higher than the same time in other months of the year. Although number vary year to year, long days, alcohol, distraction and other road users have consistently resulted in this spike (8).
Day 9 – Christmas Feelings
Research conducted by OnePoll shows a divide between how different age groups and genders are coping with Christmas. 76% of those aged 18 to 24 are most likely to find the period stressful, with almost 4 in 10 of under 24s saying they have no one they feel comfortable talking to about their mental health (9).
Day 10 – It’s All Fun And Games
According to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission’s report in 2021, most extremely severe injuries for children under 14 were caused by choking and suffocating on small toy parts.
Of the 206,400 toy related injuries were treated in emergency rooms, 74% of toy related injuries were sustained by children under the age of 14 and 38% of toy related injuries were lacerations or contusions (10).
Day 11 – Don’t Toy With Safety
On average, each child in the UK receives 38 toys per year, with 11 of these being Christmas gifts. However, a study by the British Toy and Hobby Association (BTHA) in 2021 found that 88% of toys sold by third parties on websites like Amazon and eBay were illegal, and 48% were deemed unsafe for children (11).
Day 12 – The Power Button
Every year, more than 2,800 children in the UK are treated in emergency rooms after swallowing button batteries. These small, items pose a significant risk as they can cause severe internal burns and other serious injuries.
Parents and caregivers are urged to keep button batteries out of reach of young children and to be vigilant about the potential dangers in everyday household items (12).
Day 13 – On The Road Again
December is one of the most dangerous months on the roads, with December 23rd and 24th being the deadliest days of the year. Drivers have up to four times more chance of being involved in an accident during the Christmas season compared to other times of the year (13).
Day 14 – Don’t Bite Off Too much
There are an estimated 2.4 million cases of food poisoning in the UK each year (14). Whether cooking at home, or reusing leftovers, it’s important to maintain good food hygiene at Christmas by following the 4Cs:
- cleaning
- chilling
- cooking
- and avoiding cross-contamination.
Day 15 – Poorly Pooches
According to data from The Kennel Club Pet Insurance, 31% of all claims for chocolate poisoning occur during the Christmas period (December and January). Additionally, dogs are 86% more likely to be poisoned during this time compared to other months (15).
Day 16 – Just A Tipple
A survey by Drinkaware found that 57% of UK drinkers are likely to binge drink on Christmas Day, with 75% of 18- to 34-year-olds engaging in binge drinking. With this more than 80,000 people visit the emergency room each year for Christmas-related accidents, only 6,000 of those will need to be admitted (16).
Day 17 – Overloading This Christmas
The British Heart Foundation (BHF) has highlighted that two out of three adults in the UK are overweight or obese. They also have found that a typical Christmas lunch can provide more calories than are needed in an entire day and can put added stress on the heart (17).
Day 18: The Weather Outside Is Frightful
According to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), accidents due to natural and environmental factors, such as exposure to cold or flooding, rise significantly in December and January. Previous years have shown an increase of up to 103% for Women and 145% for Men (18).
Day 19: But The Fire Is So Delightful
The risk of carbon monoxide poisoning rises during the Christmas season, with around 50 incidents reported each year due to faulty heating systems and blocked chimneys (19).
Day 20: Feeling Christmas-A&E yet?
The most frequently reported holiday decorating incidents seen in emergency departments involved falls (34%), lacerations (11%) and back strains (10%) (20).
Day 21: Do Not Try This At Home
Incidents of allergic reactions increase by 10% during the festive season due to unfamiliar holiday foods (21).
Day 22: Thirsty Work
Each year, hundreds of pets suffer from drinking water from the Christmas tree stand, which can be contaminated with fertilizers and bacteria (22).
Day 23: It Will Be Alright
Improperly stored leftovers result in 10% more cases of food poisoning during the festive season (23).
Day 24: Look Closely, Be Careful
In an investigation by Trading Standards officers , 58 decorations and novelties out of 91 tested were found to pose a risk of injury to children. A Christmas stocking was even found on sale with the wording “unsuitable for children under 36 months” (24)
And That’s a Wrap
As we release the last door and close out the 2024 calendar of health and safety facts the team at TP Safety Services wishes you a Merry Christmas and a safe and prosperous new year.
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