Contents
Worrying Statistics On Vending Machine Deaths
Introduction
Vending machines are indeed one of the most ingenuous inventions of the 19th century.
Source: https://www.thevintagenews.com/2018/04/13/first-vending-machine/
These machines work by dispensing foods and drinks, as well as other articles such as cigarettes, by inserting pieces of coins or a credit card.
Vending machine deaths 2021
According to the National-Electronic Injury Surveillance-System (N-EIS), vending machine injuries have been linked to 37 fatalities between 1978 and 2015. In the United States, that’s equal to over two deaths a year. It’s also twice as deadly as a shark attack.
While shark attacks aren’t as frequent as vending machine accidents, the statistic is alarming. Sharks kill five people annually, yet vending machines cause 13 deaths a year. That’s 2.5 times as many deaths as the sharks. Thankfully, the machines don’t actively kill people, but they can be deadly, especially if you live near the water.
Vending machines can be dangerous, but these machines are not carcinogenic. There are no studies that indicate that vending machines cause cancer. Vending machines can be deadly, but you can reduce your risk by keeping your cool. While there’s no definitive way to prevent vending machine deaths in 2021, there are a few things you can do to make the experience a little less terrifying.
Deaths from vending machines 2020
In the US, vending machine deaths are the most common cause of accidental death. This is largely due to the machines’ heavy weight. A fully stocked soda machine can weigh as much as 300 kilograms. That’s like having 3 Dwayne Johnsons fall on you at once. While these machines aren’t as common as shark attacks, they are still deadly, killing four times as many people each year as sharks.
In order to combat this problem, vending machine manufacturers are starting to offer harm reduction products like naloxone and clean syringes. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, these programs help prevent the spread of HIV and Hepatitis C. They also help connect people with treatment centers.
According to the World Health Organization, the number of deaths is expected to double by 2020. Several organizations have made recommendations on how to improve safety of vending machines. The World Health Organization and Johns Hopkins University have compiled global data on the number of cases and deaths. The report also includes recommendations for how to prevent these deaths.
Vending machine accidents
According to the National-Electronic Injury Surveillance-System, vending machine injuries and deaths are on the rise. From 2002 to 2015, the number of fatalities and injuries associated with vending machines increased from a mere two per year to over two per day. Moreover, men were more likely to suffer injuries from vending machines than women. The reason is simple: vending machines can be extremely heavy. An entire machine can weigh as much as 300 kilograms. The weight of a fully stocked soda machine is equivalent to three Dwayne Johnsons falling on you at the same time. While the statistics are not as alarming as those involving sharks, they’re certainly worrying.
One such death involved a college student, who was crushed by a Coca-Cola vending machine. The victim, who had been studying to become a pharmacist, died after becoming trapped under the heavy equipment. The coroner found that the student had died of asphyxia. Vending machines are a common source of death in the US, but the incidence may be higher in countries with higher population densities.
While it is difficult to link vending machine deaths to any specific disease or ailment, it’s important to understand that the machines can be extremely powerful and have deadly consequences for the user. As a result, it’s important to follow safe vending practices at all times.
Falling vending machines
Worrying statistics have come to light regarding the dangers of vending machines. The machines can swallow credit cards and coins, and can fail to dispense items. This can lead to a variety of ailments, both short and long-term. Although it’s difficult to correlate these issues to the vending machines themselves, it’s possible to learn more about the potential dangers of vending machines and take precautions to avoid them.
These statistics are quite frightening, because vending machines are among the top cause of accidental deaths in the US. They are very heavy, and a fully-stocked soda machine can weigh over 300 kilograms. It’s like having three Dwayne Johnsons fall on you at once. The statistics aren’t as alarming in other countries, but they are still worrying. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) estimates that vending machines have caused the deaths of 37 people since 1978. This is four times more than the number of deaths caused by sharks.
Because of the alarming statistics, vending machine companies have started to put warning labels on their machines. These warning labels are meant to prevent people from accidentally falling on their machines. The machines can also tip or rock, causing serious injury or death.
Vending machine manufacturers
In the United States, vending machine accidents are among the leading causes of accidental death. The machines are heavy and can easily crush an individual. In fact, a fully stocked soda machine can weigh 300 kilograms, or the equivalent of three Dwayne Johnsons falling on you. These statistics, however, only include deaths in the United States; they are not as prevalent in countries like Nigeria or India. However, they still kill at least four people every year – more than sharks.
One fatal case involved a college student, who was crushed under the heavy equipment. Coroners later determined that the student had asphyxiated to death. This case sparked a public awareness campaign that saw vending machine companies place stickers warning people to be careful when using their machines.
New York City has recently announced a public health vending machine program, with vending machines that dispense naloxone and sterile syringes. The machines will also provide other health supplies for users. These machines will help combat the epidemic of overdose deaths.
Vending machine injuries
Vending machine deaths are one of the most common causes of accidental death in the US. These machines are extremely heavy, and a fully stocked soda machine can weigh up to 300 kilograms. That’s roughly the weight of three Dwayne Johnsons. The numbers are not as high in other countries, though. In fact, vending machine deaths kill 4 times more people every year than shark attacks. Despite these alarming numbers, a few steps toward workplace safety could help make your facility safer.
Vending machine deaths are often the result of immediate reactions to the vending machines’ items. These reactions can be fatal if the victim doesn’t get immediate medical help. Some deaths are also caused by allergies. In countries with higher population density, vending machine deaths may be even more common. In one case, a college student died after being crushed by a soda machine. Luckily, most cases are preventable if the victim can get help in time.
Vending machine deaths have increased in recent years. The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System reports an average of four vending machine deaths every year. This is a significant increase from the four reported vending machine deaths in 1995.
Shark attacks
If you think about it, the number of people killed by vending machines is nearly four times higher than the number of people killed by sharks each year. Yet most people would never associate a vending machine with shark attacks, but this worrying statistic is still true.
Sharks are mammoth animals with rows of razor-sharp teeth. They also swim at much faster speeds than humans. In contrast, shark attacks are rare – only about one person dies every two years from a shark attack – a figure that should be concerning.
While it might seem that shark attacks are inevitable, the risk of vending machine deaths due to shark attacks is very low. In fact, only about twenty percent of vending machine deaths are due to shark attacks. This means that fear of sharks is not proportionate to the risk of being attacked.
While sharks are rare and rarely kill people, they do pose a threat, and their attacks have often resulted in beach closures. While shark attacks on vending machines are very rare, it is important to note that shark attacks can kill entire families.
Since their inventions, vending machines have transformed how easy it is to access essential foods and drinks, especially at workplaces.
Picture of a high capacity vending machine which is installed on a big warehouse type logistics center with 300 employees.
Source: https://sustain.ubc.ca/sites/sustain.ubc.ca/files/seedslibrary/Future of Vending – Final Report.PDF
It is not only a way of availing essential articles of foods, cigarettes, etc. to your employees, it is also a seamless means of offering your products to the general public.
It takes away the need to be physically present on site.
Source: https://vendingproservice.com/is-vending-truly-a-passive-income/
This is the kind of flexibility you hardly get anywhere else. But aside from their immense advantages, vending machines are also known to be fairly deadly.
Death Statistics In Vending Machines
According to research, there were some 37 deaths attributed to vending machines between the years of 1978 and 1995. In order to crunch the figures some more, that was about 2.18 deaths annually, in the US. In essence, that means that 1 in every 112 million people in the US are likely to die from an accident resulting from a vending machine. That makes the vending machine about twice as deadly as a shark attack.
Apart from these worrying vending machine deaths statistics, there have been even more cases of injuries.
Source: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/374932
According to records, there have been over 1,700 injuries reported from using vending machines every year in the US.
These incidences could even be higher if we consider countries like China where vending machines are also fairly popular, and the population using them is more than thrice that of the US.
Source: https://darwinawards.com/darwin/darwin2001-25.html
I have a location in the east Vancouver in one of the apartments which occupies around 150 residents. It is only this location that I have experienced my combo vending machine which was knocked down. Here is the link of the article that I have written about this incident.
Source: https://vendingproservice.com/my-vending-machine-was-knocked-down/
Good thing that no one was injured when the combo vending machine fell to its side. I have secured this vending machine on the walls as you can clearly see on the picture below.
According to the coroner?s report, the college student was trapped under the heavy equipment and asphyxiated to death. It was also during this time that coroners discovered there were actually 35 deaths as well as 140 injuries caused by vending machines over a period of 20 years, in North America alone.
It was also as a result of this death that major companies using vending machines began placing stickers warning people of the dangerous consequences of kicking, shoving or shaking the machine, even in the event it fails to spit out whatever it is you were looking for.
According to the most recent statistics by The National-Electronic Injury Surveillance-System, there were a total of 1,730 reported injuries every year, between the years of 2002 and 2015. Out of these injuries, 4 were fatal.
This made vending machines earn the tenth spot among the 15 most dangerous items under the Office & School category. Interestingly, even in school compounds, vending machines killed more adults than they killed school-going children. This is perhaps due to their heavyweight. In terms of injuries and fatalities by gender, men took the greater proportion, with up to 55 percent of the cases reported in men and 45 in women.
Also, injuries resulting from vending machines differ depending on the part of the body. Head-related injuries account for up to 20 percent whereas 13 percent of the injuries occur to the hands.
The upper trunk takes 12.5 percent, the face 8.5 percent and lastly, 7 percent for the entire body. In terms of diagnoses, over 25 percent came out as abrasions or contusions, with lacerations taking 17 percent, strains or sprains taking 10 percent and internal injuries taking 8 percent. Of the total surviving cases, only a paltry 11 percent were hospitalized whereas the remaining 89 percent were either left without treatment or treated and immediately released.
But What Causes The Deaths And How Can They Be Overcome??
As expected, vending machines cause injuries when a disappointed user ends up shaking the heavy equipment.
Indeed, accounts abound of vending machines that swallow coins or credit card but then fail to spit out the drink, food or cigarettes. Usually, most users respond by shaking the equipment uncontrollably, eventually making it tip over and cause bodily harm or death.
This is why experts advise that no matter how disgruntled you are, it is imperative that you be patient.
Give it a few more minutes, and then contact the owner or a vending machine technician to have the problem repaired.
As the owner or manager of a vending machine, you could do better to get your machine a General liability insurance. This way, you will not be held liable for deaths resulting from use of the machine by your clients or employees. It is not something you want to happen, but it pays to be proactive.
Source: https://www.businessinsuranceusa.com/vending-machine-insurance
General liability insurance here in Canada
Here in Vancouver, BC where I conduct my vending machine business, some companies especially the big ones require insurance liability coverage.
How much is the general liability insurance for vending machine?
I was able to get a good deal on the insurance for all my vending machine for about $120 ish per month. This will cover bodily injury that caused by vending machines.
The insurance covers around $3 Million bodily harm and injury on my vending machine insurance policy here in Vancouver, BC.
My insurance policy will also cover accidental death caused by a vending machine. We will know that if people violently shake vending machines then this will be mainly the culprit. The vending machine deaths are caused by people who are impatient to get their money back for a mere $1 to $2 which sometimes is eaten by the vending machine.
Source: https://vendingproservice.com/vending-machine-running-out-of-change-now-what/
It is good that most of my customers that are using my vending machines call or text me if there is a problem encountered. I normally give back the refund on my next visit and most of my customers are fine with it.
Of course there are some customers who nags, curse and gets very angry on a mere $1 and wanted immediate action.
As vendors we cannot solve the problem with a magic snap of our fingers, especially if you are in Vancouver and customer calls from Surrey or Langley area.
REFERENCES
https://jborden.com/2018/06/03/death-by-vending-machine/
http://freakonomics.com/2011/09/08/how-are-sharks-less-dangerous-than-vending-machines-an-exercise-inconditional-risk/
http://darwinawards.com/darwin/darwin2001-25.html
National Electronic Injury Surveillance System
https://www.liveabout.com/are-vending-machines-more-deadly-than-sharks-3970604
