The nine household items that are putting people in hospital

Accidents at home are rising, often for reasons you’d least expect. See how to reduce your likelihood of ending up in hospital.

These common items are leading to people going to hospital.

Avocados, Crocs and dog leads sound like an assortment of innocuous items, but these and other household objects are the scourge of accident and emergency departments.

“So many people don’t realise how unsafe many seemingly normal things around their homes can be,” says Adrian Simpson, head of policy at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA).

In its Safer Lives, Stronger Nation report published last year, RoSPA warned that we are facing “an accident crisis” with the rate of accidental deaths increasing by 42 per cent since 2013.

“Over half (55 per cent) of the people who die from accidents every year do so following accidents that have happened in the home,” says James Broun, research manager at RoSPA. “People are significantly safer at work than they are in their own home.”

According to the report, 7751 people died after an accident at home in 2019 and preventable accidents are now the second biggest killer of people under the age of 40.

So here’s what to do to reduce the likelihood of ending up in the emergency department.

AVOCADO

Main risks: Hand surgeons see so many injuries caused by cutting them that they’ve dubbed the outcome “avocado hand”.

A 2020 study in the American Journal of Health Behaviours reported that as many as one in 50 knife-related injuries presenting to hospital emergency departments in the USA are caused by cutting avocados.

People are cutting themselves while preparing avocados.

“Most common injuries happen when someone is holding an avocado and the knife slips in the other hand as they lose grip when trying to cut it,” Simpson says.

“As the knife slices into their palm or fingers, they can sever nerves and tendons.” Trying to remove the pit using a knife is also a mistake. “If the knife slips and fingers are in the way, it’s asking for trouble.”

Injury avoidance strategies: So common is the accident, that RoSPA has guidelines: “Place the avocado on a stable cutting surface, holding it in place with your non-dominant hand and cut away from the hand,” Simpson says. “Cut the avocado lengthwise, twist to separate the halves and use a spoon, not a knife, to remove the pit.”

DOG LEADS

Main risks: A 2019 analysis of referrals to hand clinics at Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust showed there were 30 serious hand injuries caused by dog lead or collar misuse locally in 12 months, suggesting a significant UK-wide problem. Meanwhile, a study published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise journal, found that of the 422,659 American adults who sought treatment for leash-related injuries between 2001 and 2020, more than half of them were as a result of being pulled or tripped by the leash, and resulted most commonly in broken fingers (7 per cent), brain trauma (6 per cent) and shoulder sprains (5 per cent).

The British Society for Surgery of the Hand (BSSH) also warns that hand injuries are often caused by the sudden movement of a dog after owners wrap the dog’s lead around their wrist, hand or fingers, or hook their fingers under the dog’s collar.

An abrupt pull by the dog can cause friction burns, tissue loss, as well as fractures and ligament injuries.

Waist-worn leads are also a potential death trap as I discovered when I took my lurcher for a run wearing one – she darted for a squirrel and took me with her over some wheelie bins and into a fence. I broke a rib in the process.

Injury avoidance strategies: The BSSH advises dog owners not to wind a lead around their hand. Larger breeds of dog should always be kept on a shorter lead, to avoid them building up speed that can cause a wrenching force on your hand, and small dogs should be kept on a short leash when you need control.

A retractable lead of no more than a metre in length should only be used for small breeds when safe to do so in open spaces.

CROCS

Main risks: A 2024 survey conducted by New Zealand’s Accident Compensation Service found that Croc-related accidents rose significantly between 2022 and 2023, with lost balance or skidding being the most common cause of injury.

Don’t try and do heavy-duty gardening in Crocs.

Emma McConnachie, spokesman for the Royal College of Podiatry, says ankle sprains and even foot fractures are a risk from wearing Crocs-style footwear. “The soles are very lightweight so there are also risks of puncture injuries,” McConnachie says.

Injury avoidance strategies: Most injuries with Crocs occur when people wear Crocs in “sports mode” without the strap around the heel. “Any slip-on, clog-style shoe, including Crocs, can present a fall risk if it doesn’t fit securely on the foot,” McConnachie says. “If you wear Crocs, do use the back strap for a more secure fit and never wear them in slippery conditions.” They are not designed for DIY or heavy-duty gardening.

ICE BURNS

Main risks: Applying ice packs directly to the skin around a muscle or joint injury for too long can, in extreme cases, cause frostbite, damaging deep skin layers, impacting tissue and bone.

Injury avoidance strategies: You will need to rewarm an affected area gently and, if severe, under medical supervision. Advice from the NHS is to immerse the affected area into warm (37C to 39C) but not hot water for at least 30 minutes and until the skin is a red-purple colour and can easily be moved. Repeat the process if needed. Apply a blanket or warm compress and if necessary, gently wrap the area in bandages.

HOT-WATER BOTTLES, WHEAT BAGS AND HEAT PADS

Main risks: “We are now in March and are still getting a consistently high level of reports about bottle burns and scalds from these products,” says Simpson.

Meanwhile, Dr Ken Dunn, a retired consultant and plastic surgeon who is vice-chair of the Children’s Burns Trust and collates the International Burn Injury database, says that common injuries include burns and scalds to the abdomen and between the legs where water bottles are placed.

“Toasted skin syndrome’‘ or erythema ab igne, causes mottling of the skin as tiny blood vessels attempt to cope with exposure to heat and, although usually temporary, can cause thinning of skin over time.

Injury avoidance strategies: “If you do use a hot-water bottle, avoid adding boiling water,” Simpson says. Aim for a temperature of 50-60C and no higher. “I would avoid using microwave-heated wheat and heat bags altogether because you can’t judge the temperature,” Simpson says.

LAWNMOWERS

Main risks: Simpson cites two case studies, one a man who slipped and inadvertently pulled the lawnmower towards his foot “and lost two toes”, the other a woman who lost her finger after turning over her lawnmower to remove an item that had stopped the blades from turning. “With the item dislodged, the lawnmower restarted.”

Be careful with what shoes you wear while mowing the lawn.

Injury avoidance strategies: It’s obvious but, Simpson says, “You need a substantial shoe or boot with good grip, preferably with a sturdy toe-cap.”

Before using it, check the wiring of the equipment is safe and that the blades aren’t loose. If a lawnmower stops working while you are using it, unplug the equipment’s power source before checking the blades. Wearing protective glasses is also a good idea to prevent debris flying up into your eyes.

BARBECUES

Main risks: Barbecue season results in hundreds of accidents each year, ranging from cuts as people attempt to separate frozen burgers with a knife to burns, which, Dunn says, can be particularly serious when caused by misuse of “an accelerant such as petrol to light the fuel. These should never be used and can result in barbecues ‘exploding’ in people’s faces.”

Disposable barbecues are a health hazard too, if lit in an enclosed space. “There are cases of campers dying from the noxious fumes,” Broun says.

Injury avoidance strategies: Never light a barbecue in an enclosed space and never use petrol, meths or other accelerants to light it.

The original version of this story appeared on The Times.

Originally published as The nine household items that are putting people in hospital