Road accidents
Annually more than 11 000 children under nineteen years die on South African roads from pedestrian, passenger and cycling injuries. This is an average of three children per day. Motor vehicle accidents are the greatest single
cause of unnatural deaths in South African children.
· Children under the age of 8 years should always be supervised by an adult when exposed to traffic.
· Due to their physical and cerebral limitations, younger children cannot safely deal with traffic as pedestrians.
· All children should be buckled up in motor vehicles for every trip short or long. Car seats or seat belts should be correctly selected, installed and used to ensure adequate safety. It is not safe to travel at any speed with an unrestrained child.
· Cyclist should wear helmets at all time. Research has shown that by wearing a helmet the risk of head injury is reduced by percent.
Drowning
· It is estimated that more than one child a day drowns in SA. Most drowning occurs in rivers and dams followed by swimming pools.
· Always supervise small children near water even if they can swim.
· Swimming pools should be fenced or be covered with a safety net.
· Never leave small children alone in the bath and empty nappy buckets or close firmly with a lid. Too many children have drowned in buckets filled
with water.
· Children should learn to swim as soon as possible and also be taught water
survival skills.
Burns
· Burns take a second to occur but a lifetime to heal. When children are seriously burnt they might require multiple surgery over extended periods of time and have to deal with the consequence of possible disfigurement for a
lifetime.
· Over the past five years the Red Cross Children's Hospital treated an average of 925 children a year for burn injuries. A lot of these 'accidents' could have been prevented.
· Most children burn with hot fluid such as water, oil, food, coffee and tea.
· Never handle small children and hot substances at the same time.
· Place paraffin appliances on a stable, safe, out of reach area.
· Always guard opens fires.
· Always put the cold water in the bath first and then the hot.
· Set your hot water cylinder to a safer temperature of 50 degrees Celsius.
· Keep pot handles to the back of the stove.
· Keep electrical cords out of reach of small curious hands.
· Teach children not to experiment with fire, matches or lighters.
· If our clothes catch fire, we need to stop, drop and roll to put out the flames.
· In the event of a burn injury, cool the burn with cool water for 15 minutes.
Poisoning
· Medication, paraffin or household substances that are stored within the child's reach is the cause of most poisoning incidences.
· Children under the age of five years are especially vulnerable to poisoning accidents. Caregivers should therefore store dangerous substances out of reach in a locked cupboard or child resistant containers if
available.
· Always read labels and dosage instructions on medication.
· Always use a child resistant closure (safety cap) on your paraffin
container.
· Never store poisonous substance with food.
· Know what to do in the event of an emergency and keep your nearest poisons information center's number next to the phone.
Falls
· Some 42 percent of injuries treated at the Red Cross Children's Hospital are due to
falls. Fortunately a lot of these falls are minor events but some are fatal. Most of these injuries can be prevented with a bit of forethought.
· Babies should never be left alone on any high surface such as a changing table or bed.
· Be aware of playground safety. Too many children are injured falling from
playground equipment.
· Use safety gates on stairs.