US sees 'hot-tub related injuries' increase triplefold

And weirdly ...

Many years ago I recall myself reeling at discovering the number one domestic cause of death was not anything less than (get this) being electrocuted by lightning strike while swimming in their own swimming pools.

ForGET tripping and falling down the stair, choking or anything as mundane.

Its another world, I'm telling you.

Aigh!

Obama, do something!

Of course, hot tub sales tripled in recent years, so this is another Stop Press Shocker.

Playmobil recreation

We really do need an El Reg Playmobil recreation..............

...........on second thoughts a live photo might be needed!!!

Won't Somebody Please Think of the Childrens?

The first step to eliminating this danger is a regulation requiring all suction inlets to be of a diameter less than that of the standard todger.

In other shocking suck news!

Agencies reporting gross numbers show demonstrable lack of understanding in statistics. The question of any increase in the number of hot tubs in private hands remains unanswered as it would likely show the _rate_ of injury attributable to hot tubs has actually decreased. Also amazing, yet unlikely to garner attention grabbing headlines, is the staggering increase in the number of injuries related to half witted studies on injuries.

Ban it...

...along with horseriding.

Ugh...

Ban hot tubs - "it's for the children!"

Death by statistic

The Home and Leisure Accident Statistics website is a rich source of entertainment, especially if you filter results by the object or product involved:

http://www.hassandlass.org.uk/query/index.htm

For example, read the horrifying number of accidents involving a Wendy House:

Year: Number of accidents

2000 869

2001 750

2002 820

Sadly the website uses POST for idempotent transactions, which provides the IT angle for this comment.

Attention!

A. If it exists, it can hurt you! This includes all solids, gases, liquids, plasmas, and the various types of radiation in any and all combinations. This includes organic and inorganic alike. It WILL getcha if ya don't watch out!

B. If it doesn't exist, it can STILL hurt you! If you don't believe that, try leaning on a railing that doesn't exist! (Just a quick example)

There, now that that's sorted out, go out, have fun, but as me dear ol' Mater always said; "Be careful, and use some common sense once in awhile, dammit!"

Could there be truth in the classic quote?

"Better drowned than duffers. If not duffers will not drown."

Misleading stats?

I don't get it. All the hot tubs I've ever seen, including our own US-made one, have only a low-pressure return pipe into the tub where you could put your fingers/todger, and the higher-pressure jets of course. All water intake is through an ancillary chamber into which tub water floods through a 20cm x (open to the sky) opening. Then through filters, about 30cm x 15cm cylinders. I can't see any way at all of getting injured by any of this. There's no "hole" you can poke a limb into, nor put a limb over to make a suction injury.

I suppose if you run it without the filters - and their slatted intake tubes - fitted for some reason you could get a suction injury - but then there are two inlets which would make that less likely in itself.

You could get a finger stuck in a jet when it's not running, but only by wilful idiocy.

Getting a finger trapped in the cover support mechanism seems more likely. Or even more likely "slipped over running to answer the phone with wet feet"? Now *that* one we have experienced. ;-)