The number of accidents in Italian homes has increased by 60 per cent in the last ten years, with 4 million accidents causing 8,000 deaths a year. In a survey conducted by Censis (the Centro studi investimenti sociale) it was found that in 2003, 27.8 per cent of Italians had an accident in the home, the majority of them in the kitchen, for example accidents caused by a gas tap left open or a saucepan left on over a gas flame. Many were electrical accidents, such as the use of electrical equipment with wet hands or in the bathroom, or short circuits caused a by badly-maintained electrical wiring The cost of these accidents to Italian society is almost 28 billion per year (three percent of the gross national product).