Kids are being injured by ceiling fans, researchers warn
Photo: PeopleImages/iStockphoto
Lots of kids love being lifted into the air or sleeping in bunk beds – but it’s important to be careful around ceiling fans, researchers are cautioning.
A team from the Dell Children’s Trauma and Injury Research Center in Austin, TX, looked at a nationally representative sample of ER visits involving children between 2013 and 2021. They estimated that contact with ceiling fans was responsible for at least 2,300 ER visits – mostly for lacerations. Skull or facial fractures were also reported, but were rare.
Among those younger than 3, injuries stemmed most commonly from the child being lifted or tossed into an overhead fan. Older kids typically were hurt when using bunk beds or other furniture near ceiling fans.
“Understanding how these injuries happen can help families prevent them,” the American Academy of Pediatrics says.
The study was published online in the journal Pediatrics, published by AAP.
Post a comment to this article
Safety+Health welcomes comments that promote respectful dialogue. Please stay on topic. Comments that contain personal attacks, profanity or abusive language – or those aggressively promoting products or services – will be removed. We reserve the right to determine which comments violate our comment policy. (Anonymous comments are welcome; merely skip the “name” field in the comment box. An email address is required but will not be included with your comment.)