Safety at home and children
June 2003

Infants, children, teens and adults can be potential victims of home accidents.

A strategy is needed in order to make housing a safer place for everybody and to reduce deaths and injuries from household accidents.

Being aware of this serious problem is the first step before starting recognizing potential sources of danger and being alert to home safety issues.

Among the causes of accidents leading to death and injuries the most common were fires or burns, drowning or suffocation, poisoning and falls.

A recent report released in June 2003 by the University of California, highlights the fact that the most dangerous age for children to have injuries is between 15 and 17 months. Medication swallowing, was most frequent between 18 and 35 months and was single highest cause of injury for all childhood ages.

Preventing poisoning at home is an important protection to be provided to children. Ingestion of medications, cleaning products, alcohol, cosmetics and other toxic products, can be life threatening for children but as well for unsuspecting adults or persons suffering from mental impairment or diseases such as Alzheimer's.

Taking precautions for the correct and safe storing of medications and any other potentially toxic product, should be part of every family's accident prevention strategy at home.

Prevention of burns, is of capital importance since hot water burns are among the most frequent childhood accidents. In the bathroom and in the kitchen children and toddlers should never be left unattended. Regulation of hot water temperature, precautions when cooking, avoiding drinking hot beverages or soup with a child sitting on your lap, are measures against child scalding.

Choking is more easy for children because their airways through which they breath, are more narrow. Prevention of choking includes among others, avoiding to give to children under the age of 4 whatever could obstruct their windpipe. Such things can be any type of nuts, seeds, watermelon with seeds, grapes, cherries with pits, popcorn and other similar objects including small parts of toys.

Cuts can be caused from knives, scissors, blades, razors, sharp tools found at home. Keeping all these objects well stored and away from the reach of children, contributes to preventing cuts.

Drowning is a constant danger for toddlers, infants and children. Dangerous areas are the bathroom, the water pool which a house might have. But keep in mind that a child or an infant can drown in only a few inches of water.

You should never leave alone a child in the bathroom, not even for a few seconds. If you have a pool you should take all protective measures including a fence around it, a self closing gate with a lock. Never leave unattended the children when they are by or in the pool.

Recently the US Consumer Product Safety Commission and the American Red Cross issued warnings and new guidelines for the best possible protection against pool electrocution in the swimming pools. There have been 60 deaths and 50 serious shocks reported over the past 13 years involving electrical hazards in and around swimming pools.

The main reasons for electrocution accidents in the swimming pools were faulty underwater lighting, aging electrical wiring, faulty sump pumps, power washers and vacuums that are not grounded. Additionally electrical appliances such as radios and TVs and extension cords falling or being pulled into the water are as well causes of electrocution.

According to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission the best device for preventing electrocution in the swimming pools is Ground-Fault Circuit-Interrupters (GFCIs).

Preventing electric shocks to children in the house is very important. All electrical house outlets are easily accessible by the children and toddlers. Very often they are at a toddler's eye level. All unused outlets should be covered with safety caps, cords should be kept far from children's reach. All wires should be in good condition and properly isolated.

It is preferable no to use electrical appliances in the bathroom. Hair dryers should be made with immersion protection devices. If you have hair dryers made before the early 1990s, discard them because they were made without built-in shock protection device. Therefore if they accidentally fall in to the water while they are branched, they may cause electrocution.

Falls are among the commonest accidents happening at home causing injuries and deaths among children. Falls are as well a common accident among aged adults and a cause of permanent disabilities or life threatening complications in this age group.

Babies, infants and children can easily fall from somewhere. Changing tables, cribs, beds, windows, stairs, balconies and other areas, can be involved in children's falls. Babies in walkers are particularly prone to accidents. recently experts have advised against the use of baby walkers as these devices have been frequently involved in accidents.

Death and injury from firearms is a tragic event which can involve one or more children. In the United States in 1998, 121 children under the age of 14 yers, were killed because of accidental unintentional shooting. Another 1,500 children were injured.

Extreme precaution is necessary in order to have firearms at home. They should be locked in a safe place, out of the reach of children. The arms should be stored unloaded and ammunition should be kept in a different place.

The danger of an accidental strangulation of an infant or a child when at home, can be discarded by taking careful measures for avoiding all strings, cords, garment drawstrings, ribbons which may come in contact with children.

About 160 kids have died from strangulation in looped window covering cords since 1991. Window blind cords with loops pose a serious danger for strangulation for children and they should be discarded or repaired.

Animal bites are as well a threat for children at your or at a friend's home. Don't leave a child under 4 years to play without supervision with a dog or a cat. Educate your children about the animals and teach them not to pull the tail or ear of the pet. They shouldn't bother them when they eat or sleep. They shouldn't play with animals they don't know. If you want to have a dog or other animal at home, choose one that is calm and more friendly to children.

The potential risks at home as well as the measures to be taken for each case, are numerous and almost impossible to list exhaustively.

When these potential dangers are recognized then measures should be found and applied in order to minimize or practically make disappear the eventuality of home accidents putting in danger the lives of children or adults.

Bibliography:

Consumer Product Safety Commission

National Safety Council