Cutting the cost of pack injuries Packaging accidents result in 60,000 people needing hospital treatment a year at a cost to the health service of £12m, says the government. Consumer affairs minister Kim Howells said the figures were "shocking". To help cut the number of accidents, he has published a new set of reports highlighting the improvements that could be made to the packaging used by consumer goods firms. Howells said better design would not only improve consumer safety but would meet their demands for packs that were easy to open. l Sainsbury is the first to adopt a new fabric conditioner bottle designed by McBride to be easy for the elderly to use. {{NEWS }}