Dangerous business...

[Mich the Tester]

[voodooflux]

Computer-related injuries rise sharply
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology...-injuries-rise

Trips, falls and head injuries related to the use of computers at home have increased eight-fold in the past decade, and young children are the most likely to be injured, according to researchers.

US scientists studied records in the country's National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, which records computer-related injuries from 1994 to 2006, 93% of which occurred at home. In the 13 years that data was available, researchers found that the total number of injuries increased by 732% in a period when household computer ownership only increased four-fold.

The most common injuries were caused by hitting computer equipment or by the equipment falling onto the victim. There were also cases of strained muscles or joints when moving equipment.

The computer monitor was the biggest culprit - between 1994 and 2003, monitor-related injuries rose from just under 12% of cases to 37% in 2003. By 2006, this had dropped to around 25%, most likely due to the introduction of smaller, lighter, flat-panel LCD displays.

Children under five were most at risk from tripping or falling, accounting for 43% of such cases and people over 60 made up another 37% of this injury group. Children under 10 had most injuries to the head. The results of the study were published today in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Lara B McKenzie of the Nationwide Children's Hospital Centre for Injury Research and Policy in Columbus, Ohio, who led the study, said: "Future research on acute computer-related injuries is needed as this ubiquitous product becomes more intertwined in our everyday lives. More information is needed on the types of computers and equipment used, the layout of these systems, and the furniture utilised in order to develop household-safety practices in this area."

A spokesman for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (Rospa) said that many of the injuries people are likely to be sustaining in computer accidents are minor – bumps, bruises and cuts - but they can easily be prevented and "that inconvenient trip to A&E avoided".

The government collected data on computer-related accidents in the UK until 2002. In that year, 2,100 people went to an accident and emergency department after an accident at home involving a computer, up from 800 in 1995. Around 30% of the incidents in 2002 involved children under the age of 15.

"Accidents always happen more easily when you're rushing, so if you're carrying a computer do take care to look where you're going and don't try to lift too much equipment in one go," said the Rospa spokesperson. "Make sure computers are well-positioned so they cannot be pulled over by inquisitive children. And, as with all types of electrical equipment, watch out for trailing cables."


Let's be careful out there...