There are more than 10,000 grilling-related injuries each year, and a new survey from LendingTree research site ValuePenguin.com finds 71% of Americans plan to attend or host a summer barbecue. And 80% of Americans either own a grill or use a community grill. With this sort of prevalence, it’s natural that grilling injuries commonly occur. Other findings:
- Gen Z, Men are more likely to suffer from Grilling related injuries. 13% of Americans who own or have access to a grill have reportedly experienced a grilling-related accident. Gen Zers (ages 18 to 24) are the most likely to have had a grilling-related accident, at 19%. Men are 55% more likely than women to have experienced a grilling-related accident
- Grilling while drunk is fairly common, and those who do so are 4X more likely to get hurt. 37% of grillers say they have fired up the barbecue while drunk, and those who have are four times as likely to have been in a grilling-related accident. Millennial (age 25 to 40) and Gen X (age 41 to 55) Americans are most likely to grill while drunk.
- Food safety hazards abound at barbecues. 22% of Americans believe they’ve contracted food poisoning at a barbecue. Nearly one in three millennials and 29% of Gen Zers recall getting sick from a barbecue — the most affected age groups.
- Americans aren’t cooking their meat properly. Two in three grillers don’t use a meat thermometer to verify that their meat is safe to eat or serve. 6 in 10 grillers do not cut the meat open to verify if it’s cooked sufficiently.
- Barbecuers also aren’t keeping their Grills clean — especially those who share it with others. 47% of Americans admit they don’t clean the grill after every use, which is recommended. That jumps to 59% among those who use a shared community grill, compared with 44% who have their own.