Vending machine A vending machine is an automated machine that provides items such as snacks, beverages, cigarettes, and lottery tickets to consumers after cash, a credit card, or other forms of payment are inserted into the machine or otherwise made. The fir ...

s being rocked or tilted have been known to cause serious injury and death when the heavy machines fall over. Users may rock machines in order to obtain free products, release stuck products, or obtain change.(1 January 1992)
Soft-drink machine crushes woman who kicked it
''Sun Journal'' (

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. n ...

) The

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (USCPSC, CPSC, or commission) is an independent agency of the United States government. The CPSC seeks to promote the safety of consumer products by addressing “unreasonable risks” of in ...

found in a 1995 study that at least 37 deaths and 113 injuries had occurred due to falling vending machines from 1978–1995.(13 September 1998)
Warning: Don't Jiggle That Vending Machine
''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television a ...

''(2 November 1995)
CPSC, Soda Vending Machine Industry Labeling Campaign Warns Of Deaths And Injuries

This resulted in a voluntary campaign from vending machine manufacturers to warn that rocking or tilting the machines could cause serious injury or death, including placing warning labels on all machines.Morford, Mark (18 July 2001)
Death By Vending Machine / Warning: Large heavy appliances can be hazardous to your health
''

San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and Michael H. de Young. The pap ...

''(10 February 1995)
Teen-Ager Crushed To Death Under Vending Machine
''

Orlando Sentinel The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is the primary newspaper of Orlando, Florida, and the Central Florida region. It was founded in 1876 and is currently owned by Tribune Publishing Company. The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is owned by parent company, '' Tribune P ...

'' The U.S. military started putting warning labels on machines in the late 1980s after a number of incidents on military installations.(2 January 1996)
Newest Safety tip: Tilting a vending machine can be hazardous to your health
''Toledo Blade'' The vast majority of injuries and deaths have happened to men.Abraham, Marc (20 January 2015)
The (mainly) men who have fallen under sway of drinks vending machines
''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide ...

''Soda Pop Vending Machine Injuries
JAMA. 1988;260(18):2697-2699 The argument that death by a vending machine is more likely to occur than something like winning the

Powerball Powerball is an American lottery game offered by 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. It is coordinated by the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL). From its inaugural drawing on April 19, 1992, unti ...

lottery, has drawn more attention to these unusual deaths.Miller, Sara G. (12 January 2016)
Will You Win Powerball? A Vending Machine Death Is More Likely
''

Live Science Live Science is a science news website run by Future via Purch, which it purchased from Imaginova in 2009. Stories and editorial commentary are typically syndicated to major news outlets, such as Yahoo!, MSNBC, AOL, and Fox News.{{fact, date=M ...

'' One 2012 report states that the odds of winning

are 1 in 175 million, versus 1 in 112 million of getting killed by a vending machine.Memott, Mark (28 November 2012)
Winning Powerball? It's More Likely A Vending Machine Will Kill You

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

The deaths have also at times been associated with "

Darwin Awards The Darwin Awards are a tongue-in-cheek honor that originated in Usenet newsgroup discussions around 1985. They recognize individuals who have supposedly contributed to human evolution by selecting themselves out of the gene pool by dying or b ...

".McGehee, Lucy
Cause of Death: Vending Machine
edspace.american.edu (2018)

Prevention

To prevent injury and death by vending machine, tools are available that also double as theft prevention devices, including cages,Vendingmix.com
Vending Machine Security Cages
/ref> alarms, and

security camera A closed-circuit television camera can produce images or recordings for surveillance or other private purposes. Cameras can be either video cameras, or digital stills cameras. Walter Bruch was the inventor of the CCTV camera. The main purpos ...

s.Lockmanage.com
Four Ways to Prevent Vending Machine Theft
/ref> Anti-tip brackets that also double as earthquake damage mitigation devicesEarthquake Country Alliance
/ref> can be another solution, as well as stickers that warn of alarms and the dangers of tipping the machines.Webstaurantstore.com (August 2017)
GGFV6 & 9 Safety & Setup Manual
/ref> Researchers have also noted that public awareness campaigns can dramatically decrease the number of injuries and deaths associated with vending machines.

References

{{reflist, 2 Causes of death Vending machines