Fireworks Injuries (Statistics) (Hansard, 30 March 1982)

§ Dr. Vaughan

[pursuant to the reply, 26 March 1982, c. 444]: According to reports from hospitals in England, Wales and Scotland, 681 persons required treatment for injuries caused by fireworks during a four-week period in October to November. Although the total is disappointing, this was a reduction of about one-third in the number of severe injuries when compared with those for 1980. The figures for 1981 and the preceding four years are as follows:

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Year	1981	1980	1979	1978	1977
4 Casual incident in street, etc.	216	177	277	336	248
5 Other place	46	31	49	49	51
6 Indoors^*	16	17	28	18
Type of Firework
1 Banger	156	125	183	210	174
2 Rocket	95	64	64	111	82
3 Roman candle, coloured fire, etc.	101	79	118	153	111
4 Home-made or extracted powder	23	18	33	39	18
5 Other proprietary fireworks of which:	60	45	64	103	90
5.1 Flyabout†					14
6 Sparklers	47	30	47	70	65
7 Unspecified type	164	164	206	226	234
Severity of Injury
1 Fatal injury	—	—	—	—	1
2 Detained more than one night	22	44	47	62	65
3 Sufficient to cause absence from work or equivalent	59	80	91	117	88
4 Minor injury	503	380	545	694	523
5 Unspecified injury	62	21	32	39	32
Eye injuries (included in 2–5)	250	247	303	350	268
Age Group of Injured Persons
Over 20	127	94	139	161	141
16–20	86	65	78	68	38
13–15	164	140	203	216	185
Under 13	269	226	294	467	345
^* Included in "other place" prior to 1978.
† Included in other proprietary fireworks from 1978.

Firework injuries in Scotland
(4 week period in October-November)
	Year	1981	1980	1979	1978	1977
Place of accident	Total	35	30	30	41	24
1 Family or private party		7	5	6	14	3
2 Semi-public party (eg Scouts, cricket club)		8	—	7	11	6
3 Large public display		7	5
4 Casual incident in street, etc.		13	17	13	14	10
5 Other place		—	—	3	2	5
6 Indoors^*		—	3	1	—	—
Type of Firework
1 Banger		11	10	7	2	4
2 Rocket		7	2	9	11	5
3 Roman candle, coloured fire, etc.		6	2	5	7	1
4 Home-made or extracted powder		3	1	2	—	1
5 Other proprietary fireworks of which:		4	1	1	4	2
5.1 Flyabout†						1
6 Sparklers		1	3	1	1	—
7 Unspecified type		3	11	5	16	11
Severity of Injury
1 Fatal injury		—	—	—	—	—
2 Detained more than one night		2	2	2	3	6
3 Sufficient to cause absence from work or equivalent		3	2	6	2	1
4 Minor injury		28	23	20	36	16
5 Unspecified injury		2	3	2	—	1
Eye injuries (included in 2–5)		11	14	7	13	8
Age Group of Injured Persons
Over 20		5	6	7	9	4
16–20		3	1	2	2	2
13–15		9	11	8	10	5
Under 13		18	12	13	20	13
^* Included in "other place" prior to 1978.
† Included in other proprietary fireworks from 1978.

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