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Home Safety for Children

One of the most common locations for injuries to occur is in the home. According to research completed by the CDC, unintentional injuries that occur in and around the home can include drowning, burns, poisoning, falls, carbon monoxide issues, choking and suffocation and animal bites. Of all the emergency room visits that occur on an annual basis, home and recreational injuries make up one-third. The majority of fire related deaths happen within the home with 4 out of 5 fatalities associated with fires occurring in someone's home.

Younger children are at a greater risk for scalding burns due to steam or hot liquids while older children have a higher risk of direct flame burns. Hundreds of children every single year are treated in emergency room departments and 2 children die every day in the United States associated with poisoning injuries. The vast majority of home related injuries are preventable.

Raising awareness among caregivers and parents can help to educate people about the risks for children in the home and the importance of reviewing and implementing various safety procedures. Carbon monoxide giveaway programs and smoke alarm giveaway programs can also help to protect public health and make people aware of the first response and defense against serious fire related or poisoning injuries. Furthermore, parents can use home safety checklists to assess the risk of injury in their home.

Playground equipment is also another common location where people install this in their backyard and children experience bone, breaks, fractures and other injuries when they fall or get hurt. In child care situations, the state child care licensing regulations are in place to help to protect children from being seriously injured. Some of the most common injuries that affect children in the homes include:

  • Falls
  • Guns
  • Fire
  • Burns and scalds
  • Batteries
  • Shirt strangulation and choking
  • Carbon monoxide
  • Poisoning
  • Dangerous toys
  • Sleep safety or suffocation
  • Medication
  • Liquid laundry packets
  • Drowning in water
  • Furniture tip overs

Parents can play a critical role in identifying potential risks in their home and taking necessary steps to protect them. The home safety council shares that there are more than 20,000 deaths and 21 million medical visits every single year for adults and children alike because of accidents in the home. Although these are largely avoidable through prevention and awareness, many parents do not realize the significant risks for injuries until it is too late.

One of the most important things that parents can do is to never leave children alone. Keeping an eye on children and supervising them whether they are playing near water or in the bed can give parents the ability to react quickly if a problem presents itself. Far too often, looking away for just a couple of minutes can present significant risks for suffocation, strangulation or even drowning injuries. Always having a care giver appointed to keep an eye on the child can help to decrease the chances of this.

The same goes for burn injuries. Lowering hot water heater settings to 128 degrees can help to decrease the risk of scalding by water that comes out of the sink faucet. Testing all bath water temperature before placing a child inside by putting your elbow or hand in to ensure that it is a comfortable temperature is crucial to identify potential risks of scald or burn injuries. Keeping an eye on children and maintaining a safe environment are two of the most important preventative steps that can alert parents to potential risks and decrease the number of children who are injured or killed every single year because of preventable accidents. Being aware and helping to implement safety measures on a regular basis can assist as the child grows older and faces different types of injury risks based on their age and development at that time.

If your child has suffered an injury in the home due to the negligence of another person, you may be eligible to pursue compensation through a lawsuit.

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