What are the main causes of fireworks injuries?

The core reasons for burns, lacerations, and shrapnel injuries from setting off fireworks include four categories: human operational errors, product quality defects, inadequate environmental/site conditions, and lack of child supervision. It analyzes high-risk injury scenarios such as dud shells, misfires, close-range viewing, and reverse jetting, while providing corresponding safety prevention measures.

Most fireworks injuries are caused by human operational errors, followed by misfires from inferior/moist/expired fireworks. Narrow/dangerous venues, unsupervised children, and strong winds further increase injury probability, with injuries mostly concentrated on hands, face, and eyes. Human improper operation (accounting for over 80% of incidents): Inspecting duds up close is the most severe cause. Moist fuses burn slowly; after ignition, when the firework fails to detonate promptly, many people bend down or lean in to check. A sudden explosion at close range can easily cause eyeball rupture and severe facial injuries. Failing to evacuate immediately after ignition: Standing still or directly in front of aerial shells or fountains after lighting the fuse exposes the body to high-temperature chemicals and hard paper shrapnel as they launch or jet horizontally. Illegally holding dangerous fireworks aimed at people: Holding combo cakes or large fountains; some play with sparklers near faces/eyes. Sudden pressure increase in fountains can burst palms, while sparkler sparks burn corneas. Relighting duds or throwing snap caps: Residual powder in duds can instantly detonate upon secondary ignition; forcefully throwing snap caps that explode in hands or near feet causes hand/foot injuries. Panic and crowding during ignition: Fuse burning speed exceeds expectations, causing people to run wildly, fall, or trample each other; close crowds mean shrapnel from a misfire can injure multiple onlookers simultaneously.