1)Have you ever bought something, taken it home and unsuccessfully attempted to open it? You come home from a hard day at work and all you want for dinner is a simple bowl of pasta with sauce. But thanks to many glass jars, that is not so simple. Some of them are vacuum sealed so tightly you need the strength of a superhero to get them open. You may have one of those handy jar keys but sometimes even they won’t get the job done. Others admit to banging on the sides of the jar with a handle of a knife; banging the lid on the countertop or standing jars on their lids in boiling water to loosen them. But really, do you fancy third-degree burns or glass cuts with your dinner?
2)
It might have been an item of electronic equipment sealed in a hard plastic container that can only be opened with some sort of weapon. This type of packaging is commonly referred to as “the clamshell” because you will need something to prise it open with – bare hands won’t do the job. With hard sealed plastic at the front, the clamshell requires sharp scissors, a knife or tin snips to open. Some websites even recommend a tin opener. Once you have managed to make an incision in the plastic, it is very easy to cut or scratch your fingers on the sharp plastic as you try to retrieve your purchased item from the inside. When you buy something, it should be yours. You should not have to get into a knife fight with it.
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Or, perhaps it was a toy for an impatient child who grew increasingly hysterical as you struggled to free it. Many toys come not only in a mix of cardboard and plastic boxes but are also tied down – sometimes with string, others with a hazardous mix of sharp wires, cable ties, plastic spikes and sticky tape.
4)
Sadly most of us have been there. In fact, it is so common, there is a name for this modern affliction – “wrap rage”. And with wrap rage comes trouble – everything from total frustration right through to injuries and visits to casualty and, in some cases, even malnutrition. Sometimes battles with unyielding packaging can result in injuries. While few countries record injury statistics related to packaging, a UK report in 1997 had alarming results. The report estimated 67,000 people in the UK visit hospital casualty departments every year due to an accident involving food or drink packaging. A further survey revealed that only 35% of all packaging accidents were reported to the hospital with the remaining 65% being treated at home or by GPS.
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In December 2012, Reader’s Digest conducted a survey of 500 people in Australia, New Zealand and Malaysia on this issue. All of those surveyed said they had injured themselves on packaging at one time or another while trying to open a package, and 64% of the respondents suffered injuries including deep cuts, bruises, and broken or chipped teeth. That is a high price to pay for something you have just bought!