1. grrlscientist
  2. Who are Americans and How do they Live Their Lives?

Who are Americans and How do they Live Their Lives?

By grrlscientist on December 15, 2006.

This interesting report details how Americans live, although it also gives us information about more fearsome things that BushCo can add to their list of Things for Americans to Fear (forgive me my slight digression);

For example, more Americans are injured by wheelchairs than by lawnmowers. Bicycles are involved in more accidents than any other consumer product, but beds rank a close second. Hrm .. if assembling those dangerous beds are like trying to assemble my futon frame, then I can understand why there are so many bed-related injuries.

Most of the statistical tables, which come from a variety of government and other sources, are presented raw, without caveats; and because the abstract is so concrete, the statistics can suggest false precision. The table of consumer products involved in injuries does not explain, for example, that one reason nearly as many injuries involve beds as bicycles is that more people use beds.

Cited story.

Tags
cultural observation

More like this

Counting work-related injuries, disease and death among US workers: Part 1
While we're on vacation, we're re-posting content from earlier in the year. This post was originally published on March 9, 2011. By Celeste Monforton "Death takes no holidays in industry and commerce," is how Labor Secretary Willard Wirtz described the toll of on-the-job death and disability for U.…
Counting work-related injuries, disease and death among US workers: Part 1
"Death takes no holidays in industry and commerce," is how Labor Secretary Willard Wirtz described the toll of on-the-job death and disability for U.S. workers. The Secretary's remarks in 1968 were part of congressional hearings on legislation that ultimately established the Occupational Safety…
Names and faces featured in Worker Memorial Day reports, new database
I can’t help but contrast last week’s release by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) of workplace fatality data,with the reports issued this week by community groups to commemorate International Workers’ Memorial Day (WMD). BLS gave us the sterile number: 4,585. That’s the government’s official,…
False claims in Kates' TN law review paper
Don B Kates, Jr. writes: In vol. 62 # 3 (1995) of the TN Law Rev, Henry Schaffer, three professors at Harvard and Columbia Medical Schools, and I have an article evaluating the medical/public health literature on firearms. Our general conclusion goes beyond simple negativity. We conclude that it is…

It would be great if they did a cross-tab to see how many people were in a bike accident while in bed...

Or wheelchair-lawnmower mishaps.

Another caveat: People use beds when they are at their groggiest and least dexterous.

Bed assembly wasn't my first thought as a reason for bed-related injuries. Nor was sleeping (although I suppose some people might fall out of bed at night).

Is there a link to this report somewhere? I'd like to read it and I can't seem to find a link. Or am i just really unobservant?

Thanks!