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Special precautions should be taken as more and more slip and fall accidents occur in a household bathroom (toilet).
The Korea Consumer Agency (President Myung-hee Park, www.kca.go.kr) analyzed 1,330 injury cases of household bathroom slip and fall accidents filed to CISS (Consumer Injury Surveillance System) for the recent three years. According to the analysis, children under the age of ten (35.9%, 477 cases) and seniors, all 61 years of age or older (26%, 346 cases), were the most victims of bathroom slip and fall accidents. In particular, three out of ten senior citizens, who were injured, were seriously wounded as requiring special treatment of two weeks or longer.
Meanwhile, the KCA evaluated slip resistance of bathroom floor tiles of 15 apartments and found 13 out of 15 bathroom floors were slippery when wet, falling short of slip resistance standard for non-slip tiles.
The KCA stated that it would make a proposal to ▲ make it obligatory to use non-slip tiles to Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs and ▲ add slip-resistance item to KS (Korean Industrial Standards) to KATS (Korean Agency for Technology and Standards). The KCA warned consumers against slip and fall hazards in a bathroom.
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■ Children and seniors are vulnerable to slip and fall hazards in a bathroom
Number of bathroom slip-and-fall accidents continues to grow by large margin every year as seen in 217 accident cases filed to the KCA in 2006 and 343 cases, and 646 cases in 2007 and 2008, respectively. In 2009 particular, 124 cases have been filed until this February.
By age, accidents involving children under ten years of age (477 cases, 35.9%) were the most frequently seen, followed by seniors aged 61 and above (346 cases, 26%), who generally underperformed in terms of balance and exercise capabilities. As bathroom slip and fall accidents involving the above two groups take up 61.9%, children and seniors were found to be the most vulnerable to bathroom slip accidents.
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Under the age of 10
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11~20
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21~30
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31~40
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41~50
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51~60
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Over the age of 61
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Unidentified
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Sum
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Male
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No. of case
(%)
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320
(50.5)
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43
(6.8)
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48
(7.6)
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42
(6.6)
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49
(7.7)
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46
(7.3)
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82
(12.9)
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4
(0.6)
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634
(100)
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Female
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No. of case
(%)
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157
(22.6)
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13
(1.9)
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47
(6.8)
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50
(7.2)
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82
(11.8)
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77
(11.1)
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264
(37.9)
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6
(0.9)
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696
(100)
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Total
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No. of case
(%)
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477
(35.9)
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56
(4.2)
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95
(7.1)
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92
(6.9)
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131
(9.8)
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123
(9.2)
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346
(26.0)
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10
(0.8)
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1,330
(100)
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■ Three out of ten senior citizens, who are injured in slip and fall accidents, were seriously wounded as requiring special treatment of two weeks or longer
■ People involving the slip accidents got hurt or suffered a bruise mostly on the head or face
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Head
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Face
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Leg/ Foot
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Arm/ Hand
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Waist/ Pelvis
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Chest/ Back/ Belly
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Others
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Total
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Number of injury cases
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479
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312
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181
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109
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105
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99
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45
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1,330
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Percentage (%)
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36.0
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23.5
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13.6
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8.2
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7.9
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7.4
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3.4
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100
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Scratches/Lacerations/ Bleeding
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Bone fracture
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Bruises contusion/Strain/Swelling
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Concussion on the brain
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Sprain
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Tooth damage
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Others
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Total
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Number of injury cases
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616
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296
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231
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75
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57
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23
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32
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1,330
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Percentage (%)
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46.3
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22.3
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17.4
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5.6
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4.3
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1.7
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2.4
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100
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■ Nine out of ten apartment have slippery bathroom floors
■ Using non-slip tiles should be obligatory
■ Consumers should take more precautions to prevent slip accidents
Tiles that are generally used for finishing materials for bathroom can be easily slippery as they form water curtains when wet. If detergent or soap, that are commonly used in a bathroom, are left on the floor, they serve to remove friction and the floor becomes more slippery.
The KCA called on consumers with children or seniors at home for efforts to prevent bathroom slip and fall accidents by using anti-slip rug and tape.
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Supplementary coverage
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Choi, Eun-sil, Head of Consumer Product Safety Team of Consumer Safety Bureau (☎ 822-3460-3481)
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Shin, Guk-bum, Senior Manager of Consumer Product Safety Team of Consumer Safety Bureau (☎ 822-3460-3485)
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