Injuries from everyday accidents

According to the World Health Organization (WHO): "Injuries are caused by acute exposure to physical agents, such as mechanical energy, heat, electricity, chemical agents, and ionizing radiation, which interact with the body in quantities or at rates exceeding the threshold of human tolerance. In some cases (such as drowning or frostbite), injuries result from the sudden lack of an essential element, such as oxygen or heat.

In practice, two categories of trauma are distinguished:

• intentional trauma, which includes suicides and suicide attempts, assaults and violence, and acts of war;

• unintentional trauma, which constitutes accidents in the strict sense and is usually divided into traffic accidents, workplace accidents, and accidents of daily life.

An accident of daily life (AcVC) is generally considered a non-intentional trauma that is neither a traffic accident nor a workplace accident. There are a few exceptions: for example, side effects of medications are not considered AcVCs. AcVCs are usually classified by location or activity:

• home accidents, occurring at home or in the immediate vicinity: garden, yard, garage, and other outbuildings;

• accidents occurring outdoors: in a store, on a sidewalk, near the home, etc.;

• school accidents, including accidents occurring on the way to or from school, during physical education classes, and on school grounds;

• sports accidents;

• vacation and recreational accidents.

Some accidents may fall into multiple categories; for example, a sports accident may also be a school accident or a leisure accident. Similarly, some workplace accidents (WA) are also traffic accidents (TA): more than half of all WAs are also TAs. Some accidents can be considered both TAs and leisure accidents, depending on the definition used: for example, a bicycle accident can be both a traffic accident and a leisure accident.

At Santé publique France, we primarily monitor accidents of daily life.

Traumas, as a whole, cause approximately 40,000 deaths each year in France, half of which are due to accidents of daily life. These accidents result in several million visits to emergency departments. Based on a few studies conducted in comparable developing countries, the cost of treating them amounts to tens of billions of euros each year. A large proportion of these accidents, however, is preventable

Systems for the epidemiological surveillance of trauma and accidents of daily life

To ensure epidemiological surveillance in the field of trauma, Santé publique France establishes and conducts epidemiological surveys:

Ongoing Survey on Accidents of Daily Life (EPAC)

The main objective of this survey is to provide detailed, reliable, and up-to-date descriptive data on the number and characteristics of daily life accidents (AcVC) occurring in France that result in emergency hospital care.

This survey was initially established in 1986 within a European framework. It constitutes the French component of the European surveillance network Ehlass (European Home and Leisure Accident Surveillance System), which has been extended—under various survey methodologies—to all fifteen countries of the European Union.

Detailed analysis of trauma-related deaths among children under 15 (ADT)

A feasibility study on “mortality from everyday accidents among children under 15 (Mac-15)” was conducted in 2009 in three French regions. It enabled the collection of detailed information from certifying physicians regarding the circumstances leading to the accidental deaths of 76 children. The accuracy of the collected data led to a better understanding of the risk factors for death from AcVC, making it possible to target at-risk populations.

Starting in 2015, following this initial study, Santé publique France established a continuous national registry of the detailed circumstances of all trauma-related deaths among children under 15. This collection, titled “Detailed Analysis of Traumatic Deaths Among Children Under 15 (ADT),” aims to provide detailed knowledge of the circumstances surrounding fatal injuries in order to assess their preventability and direct prevention messages toward at-risk populations.

Analysis of data from the Center for Epidemiology of Causes of Death (CépiDc)

Mortality statistics in France are drawn from the national database of medical causes of death, compiled by the Center for Epidemiology of Causes of Death.

Analyses are conducted based on the initial cause of death—the event that triggered the chain of events leading to death and which can be addressed to prevent it.

Searching the database

Trauma Mortality Database

Specific analyses implemented

These include:

• product-specific analyses conducted on request (referrals, etc.);

• as well as analyses by activity, location, mechanism, and injured body part.

Measures to prevent household accidents

As part of its prevention mission, Santé publique France has developed campaigns and communication tools aimed at the general public to prevent household accidents in general:

Participation in the launch of the website on preventing everyday accidents

This website aims to consolidate all information and initiatives from stakeholders in the prevention of everyday accidents and make them available to the general public and other relevant stakeholders, including consumer organizations, professional associations, local governments, and the media.

Learn more 

• www.stopauxaccidentsquotidiens.fr

Production of a prevention brochure titled “DIY: Safety Precautions”

This brochure offers simple tips and advice to ensure that DIY remains a pleasure. It outlines the right habits to adopt before, during, and after DIY projects.

Participation in European projects

Three European projects on everyday accidents have been conducted by Santé publique France:

• ANAMORT Project: Analysis of trauma-related mortality in Europe

• Rapid Alert Project: Pilot study to establish a rapid alert mechanism in the field of injury prevention

• Standard Survey Project: Development of a standard survey on everyday accidents to complement hospital data collection