43,000 Children Injured in Bathtub Slips and Falls in U.S. Each Year

Slips and falls in bathtubs and showers are to blame for injuring more than 43,000 children in the United States each year, presenting a newly documented and until now, lesser known risk of children’s injuries, new research finds.

Burns from hot water, drowning, and near drowning are the types of children’s injuries most often associated with bathing accidents. But a new study published in the July 13 online edition of the medical journal Pediatrics is the first to detail the number of slips and falls in bathtubs.

Researchers from the Center for Injury Research and Policy at the Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio said they were surprised at how many children were injured when they slipped on a slick bathtub or lost their balance and fell while in the shower.

“What caught our attention was the frequency of the slips and falls,” said lead researcher Dr. Gary A. Smith.

Number of Injuries Holding Steady Since 1990

Over the past 18 years, the number of children injured in such accidents each year has remained fairly steady, researchers said. On average, about 120 children a day are hurt in slips and falls while bathing.

Researchers examined about 791,000 reports of bathtub- and shower-related injuries to children ages 18 and under who required treatment at a hospital emergency room. Children under age two accounted for the most injuries, and overall, children ages four and under were involved in nearly 60 percent of all bathtub and shower slip and fall accidents, the study found.

Bathtubs were more often involved in accidents (71 percent) than showers and nearly all of such slips and falls happened at home (97.1 percent) rather than in hotels or other locations, according to the researchers.

Cuts were the most common injury, accounting for about 60 percent of all injuries, while falls, slips, and falls were the top cause of injuries, involved in 81 percent of all injuries, the report said.

Forty-eight percent of injuries were to the face, with 15 percent suffered to the head and neck. Most bathtub and shower slip and fall accidents were relatively minor, with just 2.8 percent of injured children admitted to the hospital, transferred to another hospital, or held for further medical evaluation after being seen in the emergency room, according to researchers.

Such Accidents are Preventable

The sad thing is that most slip and fall bathtub and shower accidents are entirely preventable by simple and inexpensive means, researchers said.

Manufacturers of bath and shower surfaces should work harder to provide more friction and reduce slipping on tubs and showers. That would greatly reduce the number of bathing-related slip and fall accidents for children and adults alike, the study said.

“Manufacturers need to go back and look at the current standard for slip resistance and strengthen that criteria,” the study urged.

Bathtub and Shower Safety Tips

There are other steps adults and other adults can take in their own homes to avoid bath and shower slip and fall injuries. The use of slip-resistant mats in and outside of bathtubs is an important factor in preventing such accidents.

Also, parents are encouraged to be more vigilant in supervising children during baths and showers to prevent slips and falls. This can also prevent not only slips and falls, but also burns, drowning, and other types of bathing accidents.

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