CHILD ACCIDENT PREVENTION

Overview:

 Childhood injuries mostly occur at home, on the roads or during play

 Falls are the most common cause of childhood injury
 Other common causes include burns, poisoning, and being cut by glass
 Children's toys must be safe and appropriate for their age
 Helmets should always be used when cycling, skateboarding or roller blading
 Keep matches and lighters away from children, and make sure lighters are
childproof

Definition

- An accident is an event independent of human will caused by outside force

acting rapidly and resulting in physical or mental injury or occurrence in a
sequence of events which usually produces unintended injury, death or property
damage.
- Accident is defined an unexpected unplanned occurrence which may involve
injury

Effect to control injuries in children in cilouds.

1. Education
2. Modification of social and physical environment
3. Change in product design.

Education:- parents to be educated to change their behavior

Modification of environment like

1. Safe road designs

2. Decreased traffic volume
3. Speed limits of vehicles
4. Eliminatin of guns from house hold

Chang in social environment through

1. Legislations, law mandating- child seat restraint and seat belt use.
2. Graduated motor vehicle licensing laws.

Common causes of injury:

Accidents are one of the biggest causes of death and injury among children, but much
can be done to help prevent them.
Falls are the most common cause of injury for children of all ages, but common causes
of death include child passengers injured in motor vehicle accidents, injuries to child
pedestrians, and drownings.

For young children under four years of age accidental suffocation, burns and scalds, are
included in the leading causes of death.

School aged children are more at risk of death from biking accidents and falls.

For younger children their homes are the most common site of injury, and between the
ages of 5 - 9 years, playground injuries begin to feature more prominently.

Ten to 14 year olds are more at risk of being injured during sports games and recreation
activities, and from cycling and car accidents.

Water Safety

An estimated 40 percent of drownings in under five year olds happen in home pools, but
for babies under the age of one, the bath is the most common site of drowning.

The bath is also a common site of drowning for all children under five, but becomes less
of a risk as the child grows older.

Toddlers are at risk of drowning in buckets, paddling pools and other containers of
water. They become less at risk after the age of four.

Children over the age of five are more at risk of drowning outside the home
environment. Only 13 percent of drowning occurs around the home. Common sites
include other pools (13%), rivers (23%), surf beaches (8.5%), other salt water
environments (26.5%), and other fresh water sites (16%).

Safety checklist

 Never leave a baby or young child alone in a bath

 If you have to answer the phone or door, take the child with you
 Never leave buckets of water or other containers lying around. Empty them as
soon as you have finished with them, and turn them upside down so rain water
can't collect in them
 Teach your children how to swim as soon as possible, and teach water safety to
children
 All home pools should be fenced
 If you live near the sea, river or a lake, fence your back section
 Empty paddling pools immediately after use
 Always supervise children around the water
 Ensure children always swim between the flags at surf beaches
  Blow up armbands and water wings are toys and should not be relied on as a life
saver. Children must be supervised at all times

Falls

Babies are often injured by being dropped or rolling off furniture like beds, chairs,
changing tables and push chairs.

Babies are often injured in falls when they start crawling, from falling down stairs, off
decks, or through windows.

Babywalkers carry a high risk of head injury in children under one and they are not
recommended.

Older preschoolers are commonly injured in falls from furniture, and play equipment like
trampolines and swings.

Safety checklist

 Have everything handy while changing nappies, or do it on the floor. Do not leave
a baby alone in an adult bed or changing table
 Do not leave a baby in a car seat or bouncinette on a high surface
 Second hand nursery equipment is sometimes unsafe, try to find out its history
before you buy
 Avoid babywalkers due to the high rate of accidents
 Buy good safe footwear for children
 Install safe handrails around your deck or porch
 Place a safety guard at the top of stairs or steps
 Beware of slippery surfaces where children are playing
 Keep furniture away from high windows or install safety catches on windows
 Make sure children's play equipment is safe, a sensible height, and the surface is
not too hard

Toys

Children's toys have the potential to become dangerous to infants if they are not
suitable for the child's age.

Toys with small parts should be kept well away from babies because they are a frequent
cause of choking. The five to seven month age group is the most at risk period for
choking accidents.

If choking occurs in babies under one year, hold the child upside down, or over your
knee and slap between the shoulder blades up to four times. Remove the object if it is
easy to dislodge otherwise don't touch it because you may push it down further.
For older children who are conscious, hold them from behind with your hands just below
their ribs, and give six to 10 thrusts, by pulling your hands into their chest.

Toys for under three year olds should be large enough so they can't be swallowed.

Babies under six months should have toys that are more than 32 mm wide and 60 mm
long to avoid choking. Anything larger than a ping pong ball is considered unsafe.
Strings on baby toys must not be more than 150 mm (6 inches) in length so they cannot
be pulled around the baby's neck.

Toys which break can also pose a safety hazard for older children and all toys should
be inspected to ensure they are safe.

Safety checklist

 Buy toys which fit your child's age group

 Buy strong toys and check them for any loose parts or broken pieces
 Throw away the packaging carefully because some plastics can present a risk of
suffocation
 Put ventilation holes in toy boxes and other places children like to hide
 Avoid putting squeaky toys close to the baby's ear because this can result in
hearing loss
 Beware of teething toys which contain liquid
 Polystyrene pellets in beanbag toys can be inhaled and cause suffocation
 Avoid flammable, long-haired cuddly toys
 Eyes and buttons can also come off soft toys. Look out for those with a long
jagged hook
 Plastic toys can become brittle after exposure to sunlight; they can break and be
dangerous
 Avoid projectile toys with sharp tips or points
 Protect outdoor equipment like swings from rusting by painting or galvanising,
and regularly check ropes on swings
 Trampolines can be dangerous and safety pads should be used around the
edges
 Skateboards and roller blades should be used on flat surfaces away from traffic,
and children should wear knee and elbow pads, wrist gloves and a crash helmet
 A helmet should always be worn when cycling and children under 10 do not have
the development knowledge to ride a bike in traffic slowly
 Bikes should have a chainguard and a reflector tape, and check tyres and brakes
regularly

Fire, Burns, and Scalds

Fire safety is extremely important. All families should have an escape plan in the event
of a fire.

Safety checklist
  Keep matches and lighters out of reach and ensure only childproof lighters are in
the home
 Install a smoke detector, and have a fire extinguisher
 Avoid high fire risk nightwear and clothing
 Use fireguards with fires and heaters
 Watch for flammable glue in model and kit sets
 Supervise children using chemistry sets
 Place hot drinks away from children, and do not use tablecloths that can be
pulled
 Test the temperature of baths before bathing children
 Ensure your water is no hotter than 55¬?C at the tap

Electricity

The most common household voltage is 230 volts, and it only takes a small flow of
current at that level of voltage to cause heart spasms.

In New Zealand one child dies every 18 months and 30 children are injured due to
accidents with electricity.

Safety checklist

 Keep electrical cords well away from water and from hanging down where
children can reach them
 Cover power points near the ground so children can't play with them
 Throw out any old electrical goods, leads and power points and replace them
with new safe ones
 Safety switches are available which help to ensure the electricity is shut down if a
child plays with or comes into contact with electricity
 Safety switches can also be used outside so that the electricity is turned off if
there is a leakage to earth
 Ensure older children stay away from power lines, power poles, boxes and
transformers
 Educate family members so they know not to touch a person who is having an
electric shock until the power is turned off

Road Safety

Pedestrian injuries and car accidents are a leading cause of accidents among children.
The following precautions must be taken:

 Teach children how to cross the road safely. Young school children and those
under five should not cross the road without an adult or older child. Teach the
STOP, LOOK, and LISTEN rule.
 Children should wear bright clothing during the day, and reflective clothing at
night.
 Children should not play on the road, footpaths, or driveways.
  Make sure your children always wear a helmet while bike riding. The bike should
also have lights at the front and rear when cycling at night.
 Children must always wear seat belts in a car, and babies and under fives should
be in an appropriate car seat from birth

Other points

Some common household appliances also carry a risk of accidents and should be kept
away from children, these include:

 Irons
 Sewing machines
 Lawnmowers
 Tools
 Hinges on doors and other things
 Tractors and other farm machinery