‘Death by refrigerator’ was a big problem in the US, because, historically, their refrigerators and freezers were not only the largest, but also renewed so frequently. Old appliances were left lying around outside and became the ‘perfect’ hiding places for kids playing hide and seek. Old-style refrigerators with mechanical door catches were deadly. Once closed, the door couldn’t be opened from the inside.
In the 1950s the problem was so severe that volunteers and health inspectors would seek out abandoned refrigerators and take off the doors to try and prevent more tragedies. By 1958 the US Refrigerator Safety Act was introduced that required these appliances to close magnetically instead of mechanically.