For children the most common accidents in the home leading to injury are falls followed by collisions with people and objects. This usually involves running into a person or object or having an object fall on the child. Around 50,000 children a year visit hospital because of something they swallowed, inhaled or got stuck elsewhere while at home. Burns and scalds accounts for over 35,000 domestic injuries in children although the most likely places for a child to be involved in a domestic accident are the lounge or the dining room. For adults the top ten list of common accidents starts with incidents involving steps or stairs, then it is rugs and carpets, collisions caused by children, floor surfaces, adults causing a collision or obstruction, walking barefoot, concrete surfaces, dogs, outdoor steps and finally, doors. But with 10,000 people attending hospital as a result of incidents involving socks or tights it is amazing we are allowed to go home at all.
