Infant Safety Accidents Eight Times Higher Than Adults... Bed Falls Most Common

Publication of "Consumer Hazard Information Trends and Statistical Analysis Report"

Last year, the number of safety accidents involving infants and toddlers in South Korea was found to be more than eight times higher than that of adolescents or adults.

The Korea Consumer Agency announced on the 19th that it has published the "Consumer Hazard Information Trends and Statistical Analysis Report" containing this information. The report analyzes 79,264 consumer hazard reports received by the agency last year, and this time includes additional data on frequently occurring hazardous items and causes according to differences in physical, behavioral, and environmental factors across life stages.

By life stage, the number of hazard reports was highest among adults (ages 35?64) with 24,581 cases. This was followed by infants and toddlers (ages 0?5) with 14,556 cases, seniors (65 and older) with 11,315 cases, young adults (ages 19?34) with 8,448 cases, children (ages 6?12) with 6,528 cases, and adolescents (ages 13?18) with 2,742 cases.

However, when measured per 1,000 people, infants and toddlers had the highest accident rate at 8.4 cases. This was followed by children at 2.1 cases, and adolescents and adults each at 1.0 case. The item most frequently involved in accidents for infants and toddlers was beds, accounting for 13.8% (2,013 cases) of the total. The cause of these accidents was falls, making up 98.3% (1,979 cases), indicating that falls from beds were common.

Looking at frequently occurring hazardous items by life stage, infants and toddlers most often sustained injuries from beds (2,013 cases, 13.8%). For children and adolescents, bicycles were the most common, young adults were most affected by electric wheels, and adults and seniors most frequently experienced accidents involving stone or tile flooring. The primary cause of hazards by item was overwhelmingly falls for infants and toddlers (1,979 cases, 98.3%), while slipping and tripping accounted for the largest proportion across all other age groups.

The published report can be accessed on the Korea Consumer Agency’s Consumer Hazard Monitoring System website.