COMMON HOME ACCIDENTS AND SAFETY TIPS (part 2)

Accidents within the home are amongst the commonest causes of injury and death, most especially in children. Majority of these accidents are unnecessary and could easily be avoided if close attention can be paid to certain risks in our environment.

Nevertheless some accidents still occur despite our best efforts to prevent them. Everyone should be aware of the dangers in the home so that accidents can be avoided. The purpose of this information is to raise awareness of the type of accidents that may occur in the home, what steps you can take to prevent them and the appropriate first aid to be applied to reduce the severity of injury or death.

1.   FALLS

This is a very common cause of injury in children and elderly (most vulnerable) though can happen to all age groups. It could be as a result of slippery floors, falls in the bathroom or while children are playing. 

  

 First aid measures in case of a fall:

Look out for the following signs indicating the need for urgency and professional help:

• IS HE/SHE HAVE BREATHING DIFFICULTIES? 
• IS HE/SHE CONSCIOUS? 
• IS THERE A LOT OF BLEEDING?

If any of the above are noticed please call for help immediately while trying to resuscitate. 

In case of severe bleeding, expose the injury site, elevate the affected limb above the level of the heart to reduce bleeding and apply bandages or cotton wool depending on what you have available a clean piece of cloth can also be used if that the only thing available and apply pressure to the bleeding site but not too tight as to cut off blood supply completely.

Abrasions may only require cleaning. Rinse the affected area with clean water preferably under running tap and iodine tincture applied. If any object it sticking out of the injury please do not force it out, do not not apply pressure on the object. Leave it in place while trying to arrest any bleeding by applying pressure by the sides. After all these are done ensure quick transfer to the hospital closest to your home. 

For fractures and dislocations, it can be recognized by swelling and pain usually at the fracture site and most cases there would be be partial or complete loss of function of the affected limb. Here all you need do is to make the person comfortable by splinting the limb while planning a transfer of the person to the hospital.

 

Prevention they say is better than cure. You can read our previous post on the tips for preventing falls.

 

2.   POISIONING

A poison is a substance that, if taken into the body or absorbed in sufficient quantity can cause either temporary or permanent damage. About 90% of poison exposures happen at home, making it the second leading cause of accidental death in the home.Most fatal poisonings are most common among children under age 5. The most common causes of these poisonings are:

• Cleaning and household products;
• Personal care and beauty products;
• Medicines (especially dangerous are those with iron);
• Vitamins;
• Plants;
• Lead and carbon monoxide.

Poisons could be swallowed, absorbed through the skin, inhaled, injected or splashed into the eyes. The commonest types of poisoning in our environment are bleach and kerosene poisoning. In most cases it is put in table water bottles or cans, kept within the reach of children who then mistake it for drinking water. This has led to lots of death usually not from what was ingested but the first aid measures that where taken which in our environment is the use of palm oil given by the caregivers. This causes aspiration as the fumes of the palm oil enter the lungs and prevents effective breathing. Other common poisoning seen in Nigeria are poisoning from sniper (an organophosphate).

First aid measures in the event of a poisoning:

• PLEASE DO NOT GIVE PALM OIL;
• NEVER TRY TO INDUCE VOMITING NO MATTER WHAT THE PERSON HAS INGESTED. Vomiting following a poisoning can damage the lungs, a very crucial organ for breathing and staying alive. Whatever damage the poison would cause, most can be repaired;
• GIVING ORDINARY WATER OR MILK TO NEUTRALIZE THE ACID WITHOUT INDUCING VOMITING IS OK;
• TAKE THE PERSON IMMEDIATELY TO THE NEAREST HOSPITAL.

For tips on preventing accidents from poisons, you can read our previous post.

 

3.   BURNS AND ELECTROCUTION

Burns are another hazard and the third leading cause of accidental home injury deaths. Burns may result from open flames (fire), hot liquids (hot water, oil), chemicals (e.g acids from batteries, alkaline from bleach at home), radiation and electric burns.

The commonest cause of home accidents especially in children is heat from hot water steam from kettles, hot food or hot water from flask and electrical which could be from children biting electric cables, playing with wires.

In burn injury the skin is partially or wholly damaged. It is also very important to note that not only the skin can be burnt or damaged but other underlying structures even up to the bone can also be affected especially in electrical burns injury.

Electrical burns tend to be very severe as the degree of damage cannot easily be seen with the eyes. The severity is dependent on the type of burn, duration of exposure and what body part is affected.

First aid measures to apply in case of burns:

The first 24 hours is very important even though complications can still arise afterwards but most times a lot of mistakes are made in the first 24 hours. Burn injuries do not normally have infections until we rub things like pap, urine, egg, palm oil etc on the area. This is a very common practice in our environment. Major Burns should be managed in the hospital and minor burns may be managed at home. In the event of burn accident,

• Call for help if within an enclosed area especially in cases of fire accident;
• Remove the person from the site of the burn accident;
• Remove the clothing as quickly as possible;
• Cool the affected area with copious amount of water. This also helps to reduce the severity of the burn injury. Do not overcool with ice to the extent of lowering body temperature excessively;
• Transfer to the hospital as soon as possible for proper assessment.

Tips to prevent fires include:

• Keep children away from flammable substances and naked fires especially candles and stoves.
• Turn pot handles inward on cookers to prevent spillage.
• Mix hot water with cold water to avoid leaving hot water standing.
• Be careful when cooking. Stay near the stove, especially when frying. Use back burners. Roll up your sleeves (never cook with long, loose sleeves) and use oven mitts. Don’t let kids play near the stove or help you cook at the stove. Slide a lid over the flame to put out small stove fires.
• Don’t neglect maintenance. Have the wiring in your home checked by a professional electrician at least once every 10 years. Chimneys, fireplaces, furnaces, and wood and coal stoves should be checked once a year and cleaned, when necessary.
• Cover electric outlets within children’s reach, get rid of frayed or damaged electrical cords, keep space heaters at least 3 feet away from flammable objects, blow out candles when your leave a room, unplug irons and curling irons when not in use, and put them out of children’s reach.
• Be safe if you smoke. As if there weren’t enough health risks tied to smoking, smoking and smoking-related materials are the main causes of fire-related deaths at home. If you smoke, use fire-safe cigarettes, smoke outside, and douse cigarettes and cigarette butts in water before dumping them in the trash. Better yet, quit.

·        Be prepared for a fire. Keep a few fire extinguishers in strategic locations and know how to use them. Consider having a sprinkler system installed if you have a new home. Do a monthly fire drill with your family, practicing how to escape. Teach everyone in the family how to “stop, drop, roll, and cool” if clothes catch fire: Drop immediately to the ground, cross hands over your chest and roll back and forth to put out the flames, and cool the burned area with cool water.

·      In case of electrocution, turn off electricity from the main switch board. Please note that electrocution poses danger to the rescuer as well. Transfer to the hospital immediately for further medical care.

4.   CHOKING AND SUFFOCATION

This occurs when foreign objects lodge within the airway blocking the flow of air. This could result in death within few minutes. It is usually recognized when the individual holds the neck with both hands and coughs with difficulty in breathing. If the person doesn't give any signal, look out for inability to talk, inability to cough forcefully, noisy breathing and person starts turning blue or dusky. It may be so severe that the person goes into unconsciousness.

In children, it could be from eating nuts, playing with hair beads or any small object usually played with before it is swallowed and even forcefully feeding a child. This is a very common cause of choking in our environment.

 First aid measures in an event of a choking child or adult:

• Encourage them to cough;
• If this doesn't help, support their upper body with one hand and help lean them forward. Use the heel of your hand to give up to five sharp back blows between their shoulder blades; 
• Check their mouth to see if there's anything in there. If there's, get them to bring it out; 
• If back blows don't work, stand behind  give them, with your hands linked together and the lower hand clenched in a fist between their belly button and the bottom of their chest, give up to five abdominal thrust by pulling sharply inwards and upwards - (Heimlich maneuver); 
• If the person is still choking please call for help but repeat this processes until help comes or the airway is cleared; 
• If they become unresponsive at any stage, open their airway and check breathing. If not breathing start CPR.

You can read our previous post on the tips to keep children safe from this type of accident.

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Visit us now for your free first-aid kit. For more information about our services, click here: www.quickmedics.com.ng OR contact us on: 08186086785, 08059294481.