Amid social distancing measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic, more people have turned to home training instead of going to the gym.

But working out at home with training equipment should be handled with care, the Korean Consumer Agency (KCA) says.

Over 4,000 accidents related to training equipment have been reported across the country every year since 2015, according to the annual data from the KCA’s Consumer Injury Surveillance System.

The number of injury reports has increased steadily, with 2020 seeing 5,681 accidents, the highest number of the last five years.

A 46-year old woman injured her abdomen while exercising at home in March last year due to a manufacturing defect on her hula hoop. A 53-year old man got his finger stuck in a treadmill at his house in August.

Children, in particular, are at greater risk of getting injured just from being around training equipment, the consumer watchdog says.

Children under the age of 10 accounted for over 60 percent of all accidents related to home training equipment, according to the KCA.

A 1-year-old boy’s finger was injured when a dumbbell fell over it. And a 5-year-old girl was stabbed in the foot by a defective part of an exercise bike.

In order to prevent such accidents, the KCA says consumers should first check to see if there are no loose or sharp parts on the home training equipment.

Smaller exercise tools, such as dumbbells or kettlebells need to be kept out from children’s reach, the consumer watchdog says, and parents or guardians should prevent children from getting too close to running machines or exercise bikes.

The KCA’s Consumer Injury Surveillance System collects, analyzes and evaluates injury reports submitted by organizations across the country, including 62 hospitals and 18 fire stations.

By Kan Hyeong-woo (hwkan@heraldcorp.com)