How to avoid injuries that lead to A&E (including avocados)

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vegan salad of baked vegetables, avocado, tofu and buckwheat buddha bowl

Summer is coming, and so are injuries – some related to it. So here are 10 ways to avoid injuries that may lead to a visit to the Accident and Emergency (A&E) department.

Before we discuss avocados (and dog leads and lawnmowers), some basics first.

1. Barbecues (a big one)

Barbecue season results in hundreds of accidents each year, ranging from cuts as people attempt to separate frozen burgers with a knife, to burns.

Very serious burns can occur as result of using 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 particular health hazard. Poisoning by carbon monoxide, an odourless gas, can cause death when disposable barbecues are used inside a tent or covered area, or if they are left to smoulder inside after use.

Injury avoidance strategies

Never light a barbecue in an enclosed space and never use petrol, meths or other accelerants to light it.
Place your barbecue on level ground, away from fences, sheds and overhanging trees, which can catch fire.
Place disposable barbecues well away from a tent and leave the remains safely outside in fresh air as it will still give off carbon monoxide fumes for hours after use.

2. Practice Safe Driving

Driving safely is important for all people: drivers, passengers, cyclists and pedestrians.

Injury avoidance strategies

Always wear a seatbelt and ensure all passengers are buckled up.
Do not using your phone whilst driving.
Follow speed limits and drive according to road conditions.
Do not drink and drive.

Note. Hands free phones are also not safe, as they take your attention way from the road.

2. Fire and Electricity in the Home

Alot can be done in the home to make them safer.

Injury avoidance strategies

Fire

Install working smoke (and carbon monoxide) alarms in your home.
Keep flammable materials away from heat sources, such as the kitchen stove or fireplace.
Never leave cooking unattended. Pans at the back of the hob, handles pointing back.

Electricity

Avoid overloading electrical outlets.
Keep electrical cords and appliances away from water.
Replace plugs when needed, and damaged or frayed cords.

Road safety, fire, electricity and BBQs are big ones – now we will describe some less obvious ones.

4. Trampolines

A study in 2019 examined the main reasons for children attending casualty departments in Oxfordshire from January 2012 to March 2014 (Kirkwood, 2019).

Children and adolescents aged 0-19 years accounted for 47% of sports injury-related emergency department attendances. Trampolining injuries were significant in both boys and girls.

For boys, the main sports involved in injuries were:

Football (37.7% of total male sports injury attendances)
Rugby union (15.5%)
Rugby league (5.0%)
Trampoline (4.2%)
Basketball (3.2%).

For girls, the main sports for injuries were:

Trampoline (12.0% of total female sports injury attendances)
Netball (8.7%)
Horse-riding (8.0%)
Football (8.0%)
Ice-skating (6.8%).

Arm and finger injuries, cuts and concussions were amongst the common injury risks. Trampolining injuries can also occur to all parts of the body, including the neck, arms, legs, face and head.

Injury avoidance strategies (mainly for garden trampolines)

Use the trampoline by one child at a time.
Avoid having heavier people jump with lighter children. This can raise the risk of collisions, and children being hurt whilst bouncing with adults, who have sometimes been drinking, in summer months.
Make sure a trampoline has safety pads that cover the springs, hooks and frame and that the pads are a contrasting colour to the frame so that they are easily visible.
Where possible, position the trampoline on energy absorbing ground, grass, sand or bark wood.
Ideally choose a model with a safety net, but if not have a safety zone of 2.5m around the equipment and away from hazards such as trees, washing lines, poles and toys.

5. Lawnmowers

With spring around the corner, electric lawnmowers will soon whirr into action and injuries involving them will increase. This include loss of toes and fingers.

Injury avoidance strategy

Wearing the correct footwear is very important.
Don’t wear flip flops, flimsy shoes or sandals.

6. Hot-water bottles and heat pads

A study in the journal Burns (Chu, 2024) revealed there were 5,944 burn injuries from hot water bottles and heat pads in the UK between 2013 and 2023.

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, is long-term mottling of the skin as tiny blood vessels attempt to cope with exposure to heat and, can cause thinning of skin over time.

Erythema ab igne (due to regular use of hot water bottles)

Injury avoidance strategies

If you do use a hot water bottle, avoid adding boiling water.
Aim for a temperature of 50-60C and no higher; and avoid leaving them for long periods in one place.

7. Crocs

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 while wearing them being the most common cause of injury.

Injury avoidance strategy

Don’t wear them (and they are ugly).

8. Dog leads

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.

Injury avoidance strategies

Do not to wind a lead around their wrist, hand or finger.
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 lead when you need control.

Note. The same is true of horse leads. These can lead to more serious injuries.

9. Prevent Falls in the Home

Falls are a huge problem in the elderly. But there are things you can do to prevent them.

Injury avoidance strategies

Install handrails on stairs.
Use non-slip mats in the bathroom and kitchen.
Keep floors clear of clutter and tripping hazards.
Make sure the blood pressure (and blood glucose if they have diabetes) of the frail elderly is not too low.

And finally .. avocados ..

10. Avocado hand .. be careful how you cut them

Don’t cut avocados like this

A study in the American Journal of Emergency Medicine (Farley, 2020) reported an epidemic of knife-related injuries caused by cutting avocados, presenting to hospital emergency departments in the USA – with an estimated 50,413 cases from 1998 to 2017.

Injury avoidance strategy

Cut the avocado length-wise, twist to separate the halves and use a spoon, not a knife, to remove the pit.

Summary

We have described how to avoid injuries that lead to A&E (including cutting avocados). By following these tips, you can significantly reduce your risk of injury and avoid unnecessary trips to the A&E department.

Note. It is OK to have fun especially as the weather improves .. a BBQ on a mown lawn, a beer and even an avocado!