My public service announcement...

Unintentional fatal injuries arising from unpaid work at home.

¹ Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Sydney
² Injury Prevention and Policy Branch, NSW Department of Health
³ Health Communication Network
⁴ LIPID Coordinating Centre, University of Sydney
⁵ National Prescribing Service
⁶ National Immunisation Centre

Correspondence to:
Dr Timothy Driscoll, Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Sydney. C/-49 Taleeban Road, Riverview NSW 2066, Australia;
elmatom@optushome.com.au




Objective: Unpaid work in and around the home is a common and potentially high risk activity, yet there is limited information about the circumstances surrounding resulting injuries. This study aimed to describe circumstances surrounding fatal injuries resulting from home duties activities, in order to identify and prioritize areas for prevention.

Design and setting: Coroners’ reports on all unintentional deaths in Australia from 1989–92 inclusive were inspected to identify deaths of interest. Rates were calculated using population data and incorporating measures of time engaged in particular home duties activities.

Results: There were 296 home duties deaths over the four year period. Most (83%) deaths were of males, and males had 10 times the risk of fatal injury compared with females. The most common activities resulting in fatal injuries were home repairs, gardening, and car care. The highest risk activities (deaths per million persons per year per hour of activity) were home repairs (49), car care (20), home improvements (18), and gardening (16). Being hit by inadequately braced vehicles during car maintenance, falls from inadequately braced ladders, contact with fire and flames while cooking, and contact with electricity during maintenance were the most common injury scenarios.

Conclusions: Fatal injury of persons engaged in unpaid domestic work activities is a significant cause of death. Use of activity specific denominator data allows appropriate assessment of the degree of risk associated with each activity. The recurrence of similar circumstances surrounding many independent fatal incidents indicates areas where preventative interventions might be usefully targeted.

Keywords: fatal injury; home duties; unpaid work; risk measures

My interpretation of this article are as follows:

First if you live in 296 houses in the duration if your lifetime and you are a male and you tend to home repairs and manly duties you are gonna die. No doubt about it bro, yer gonna kick the bucket sooner or later.

It's all explained [here] in black an' white for you.

You might even die ten times more often than yer female counterpart will. You can die 20 times changin yer oil or fixin a whiper blade. Pickin tomatoes or plantin carrots can kill you 16 times.

Gettin run over by yer own car or havin the damn thing fall on yer head is common. Ladder breaking is another. Fryin pan explodin in yer face holds serious risk factors. Back to the changin light bulbs thing again "electricity causes injury resulting in even death".

My suggestion?

Hire a maid (sexy French maid), have the wife paint the bathroom, Order pizza delivered and borrow a friends car. Other than that safe duties around the home include, listening to music, playing horseshoes, squirt-gun fights with grandsons, water balloon fights, Nurf football, dancing (if yer wife don't catch you) and readin my blog.

"This has been a public service announcement provided for you, in your own best interest & for free, from Funking Dave at Funk's Realm"