Millions of Brits risk injury over Christmas with festive packaging wreaking havoc in homes, research finds

MILLIONS of Brits are at risk of injuries over Christmas with festive packing wreaking havoc in homes, research has found.

A poll of 2,000 adults found that an estimated 12 million people have hurt themselves due to the tricky wrapping.

It also found that 74 per cent get frustrated when opening packaging, with 64 per cent saying it dampens their festive mood.

As a result, 64 per cent will waste up to two hours fiddling with foil seals and trying to get into tightly wrapped plastic or stubborn cardboard boxes excessively taped up.

And 26 per cent admitted to damaging the contents while struggling, while 47 per cent have resorted to using scissors or knives in desperation, injuring themselves in the process.

With minor cuts (40 per cent), scratches (32 per cent) and bruises (10 per cent) among some of the injuries sustained.

Packaging specialist Lydia Butler from DS Smith, which commissioned the research, said: “Christmas is a time for joy, not frustration, nobody wants to spend Christmas wrestling with tricky packaging and possibly injuring themselves in the process.

“Hard to open packaging is affecting millions of people with frustrations and injuries.”

The research also found 27 per cent who have had issues, have even ended up in A&E as a result of an injury sustained while attempting to open packaging.

A further 10 per cent avoid buying certain products as gifts because they know the packaging will be too hard to open.

While almost a third (32 per cent) find excessive packaging particularly irritating at Christmas.

Of those who have damaged items they were trying to open at Christmas, 34 per cent were then unable to give the product as a gift.

Nearly nine in 10 (88 per cent) feel packaging should be easy to open, particularly for those with dexterity issues, according to the OnePoll.com figures.

But 14 per cent who have struggled to open packaging have simply returned an item after buying it, because they couldn’t get into it.

It was also found almost half (45 per cent) sometimes suffer with hand weakness or pain as a result of arthritis (25 per cent), an injury (19 per cent) or carpal tunnel syndrome (11 per cent).

And of those, 30 per cent say they regularly need assistance opening packaging as a result.

Pippa Stacey, an award-winning writer with a chronic illness affecting her movements, said: “I enjoy Christmas time, but too often when online shopping, parcels arrive that are hard or sometimes even impossible for me to open.

“It’s frustrating when I know from my own business that it doesn’t have to be that way. I want to see more companies using the solutions that already exist to make packaging inclusive for everyone.”

Packaging company DS Smith’s spokesperson added: “For people with more limited hand mobility, packaging that’s difficult to open can be a significant barrier to independence – these struggles are often overlooked but are very real.

“We think more can be done to take an inclusive approach to designing packaging.

“Packaging needs to be suitable for everyone – no matter your age, health condition or level of ability.”