BERN, SWITZERLAND – The Swiss Safety Council says that preventing falls, particularly in the higher risk young and old age groups, would have a significant impact on the number of home and hobby accidents.
It published its first-ever guidelines for professionals 12 September to improve prevention, noting that 50 percent of non-occupational injuries and 80 percent of fatalities result from falls.
Switzerland sees about one million people injired a year in non-occupational accidents, nearly one in eight persons. Of these, the largest group is injured in the home or while involved in a hobby: 600,000. About half that number, 300,000 are injured in sports and another 100,000 in car accidents.
