Volume 15 Issue 27 .                                                                                Winter 2021

Thank you for being a Safety Source family! 
Winter Safety Edition

This week we would like to share several safety tips on how to stay safe during the winter months while both at home and in the car. In this week's newsletter, you will find interactive tools for your children to learn about fire prevention in the home as well as helpful information for parents. We hope this will be a fun way to learn about important safety topics together as a family. Let us know if we can be a resource to you in anyway! As always, our goal is to include the best topics to keep your family happy, healthy, and safe! If you wish to see a particular topic or question addressed in our next issue, please let us know!

With Middle Tennessee temperatures plummeting, it’s a good time to remember that children should never wear their coats while strapped into a car seat. (There’s a way to keep them warm, though — we’ll get to that in a moment.) Though my children are grown now, I wish I would have known the importance of this safety measure as a young mother.

You might have seen the recent segment of NBC’s “Today” show with a demonstration of how a child can be flung from a car seat in a crash if he or she is wearing a coat (see the video here).

So what really happens in a crash? Winter coats give the false perception that the harness straps are tight against your child’s body when, in fact, they are several inches too loose. In a crash, the coat can compress and produce a loose harness, which can result in the child’s whole body coming out of the car seat, causing severe injuries or even death.

Don’t believe this is possible? Try this simple test to ease your mind.

• Place your child in the car seat with a winter coat on and tighten the harness straps as you normally would for travel.
• Next, undo the car seat buckle WITHOUT loosening the harness straps.
• Now take the coat off your child, put him or her back in the seat and buckle the harness.
• Use the pinch test to check the harness for tightness: Try pinching the harness fabric together near the child’s shoulders. When the harness is snug, your fingers should just slide off the harness as you try to pinch it together. If you can pinch a bit of harness between your fingers, the straps are too loose. Chances are you will need to tighten your harness to get it as snug as it needs to be to properly fit your child.

It is always important to make sure your child is snug in the car seat. When properly harnessed, the plastic retainer or chest clip should be across the child’s chest at armpit level. Use the pinch test to check for tightness.

So how do you keep your children warm? Take them to the car with a blanket or coat around them. Once you get to the car, take the blanket/coat off and secure the child in the car seat. You can then place the blanket or coat over the body as long as it is not covering the face and obstructing breathing.

Other cold-weather safety notes: Remember never to leave your car running in the garage, never leave your car running with your child inside it, and never place anything underneath your child in a car seat or between your child and the harness. This includes winter coats!

It might take an extra minute or two to get your child strapped in and cozy, but that precious cargo is worth the effort.

Hand sanitizer cases are on the rise at poison centers. Here’s what you need to know about hand sanitizer safety to make sure your family stays safe.

When soap and water aren’t available, the next best thing to hand washing is using a hand sanitizer that is at least 60% alcohol (and then washing hands with soap and water whenever possible). However, such a potent solution poses risks to children — especially concoctions that are colored and scented and might look like tempting treats to little ones.

Due to the pandemic, hand sanitizer-related cases are on the rise, according to the American Association of Poison Control Centers — there was a 46% increase in the first half of 2020. Normally, a small taste of sanitizer isn’t a big issue. But it’s important to remember that sanitizers are typically 60-70% alcohol, so a shot of sanitizer is like a shot of whiskey — and that can lead to a medical emergency in children.

But there’s another issue to be aware of: Because we had such a shortage of sanitizer at the onset of the pandemic, some producers acted too quickly. When alcohol is not distilled for the right amount of time at the right temperature, it produces a very toxic alcohol called methanol. In as little as a mouthful, methanol can cause issues like blindness and kidney failure. “We’re taking a really cautious approach right now and saying that if your child got a mouthful of sanitizer, it could be life-threatening if it was methanol,” said Nena Bowman, PharmD, a toxicologist and managing director of the Tennessee Poison Center.

Poison Help Hotline: 800-222-1222

Here, Bowman shares hand sanitizer safety tips for encouraging safe use of hand sanitizer with your family:

• Make sure kids know it’s not food. When you use sanitizer with your kids, be sure to reinforce that it’s not something they can eat — tell them it’s something that keeps them clean, but can be dangerous in their mouths.
• Keep hand sanitizers out of reach. “In a kid’s mind, more is better,” said Bowman. “Even if they know what it’s for and how to use it, they might go overboard.” This goes for large bottles at home, as well as smaller “to go” bottles you might store in the car or the diaper bag.
• Model safe use at home. Practice at home a few times a day, so that when your kids encounter sanitizer at school, for example, they know how it works and what to do with it.
• Verify the safety of your brand. The brands containing methanol will still list ethyl or isopropyl alcohol on the label. The only way to verify the safety of your brand is to consult the FDA’s running list of contaminated sanitizers.
• Don’t hesitate to call Poison Control. “Our job at Poison Control is risk assessment. Every scenario can be different,” Bowman said, “so we always encourage parents to call us (800-222-1222) if something happens. Let us assure you that it’s not a problem or help direct you to the medical attention you need as quickly as possible. We promise, we’ve heard it all — no judgment!”

Source:

1. MySouthernHealth.com

2.Tennessee Poison Center

Although, space heaters can be a helpful necessity during the winter months, they can also pose as a potential threat to your home if not used with caution.

According to the National Fire Protection Association, heating equipment is the second-leading cause of U.S. home fires and the third-leading cause of home fire deaths. More than half (53 percent) of all home heating fire deaths resulted from fires that began when heating equipment was too close to things that can burn, such as upholstered furniture, clothing, mattresses or bedding.¹ Remember to keep space heaters at least three feet away from anything that can burn, and always closely supervise children and pets when a heater is turned on. Make sure you turn heaters off when you leaving the room.

Here are some additional safety tips to follow:

• Be sure to never place anything on top of a space heater.
• Space heaters should always be on a flat level surface.
• It is important to always plug your heater directly into a wall outlet. Plugging the heater into an extension cord can cause the chance of overheating and can lead to a home fire.
• Be sure to regularly check that your space heater is working properly. This includes looking for any frayed wires or an accumulation of dust on the coils and grills.
• Keep heaters away from water. Never touch a heater with wet hands.
• Avoid using your oven to heat your home.
• Never leave pets or young children alone in a room with a space heater.
• Never leave your space heater turned on while you’re sleeping or if you are not at home.
• Be sure that your portable space heater has been tested, proven, and certified to meet specific safety standards by a Nationally recognized testing laboratory.

Install and maintain carbon monoxide alarms in your home to avoid the risk of CO poisoning. Following the safety tips mentioned above can help to protect you and your family. For more information on how to keep your family safe, visit our website here.

Source:

1. National Fire Protection Association

During the winter months, there are important safety tips that must be followed to help keep you and your loved ones safe. Consider these safety tips if your family will be traveling this winter:

Before You Go:

• Check for any recalls- Be sure to check to see if your vehicle has been recalled for any reason. Consider using NHTSA’s Recall Look-up Tool using your vehicle’s VIN number. https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls
• Get your car serviced before getting on the road- Get your vehicle serviced for a tune-up and other important services such as an oil change and a tire rotation. Be sure to have the following parts checked on your vehicle.
  • Battery
  • Lights
    
  • Colling system
    
  • Windshield Wipers and you water reservoir.
    
  • Make sure each tire is filled with your vehicle’s manufacturer recommendation.
•  Remember to plug it in- For electric and hybrid-electric vehicles, minimize the drain on the battery. If the vehicle has a thermal heating pack for the battery, plug your vehicle in whenever it’s not in use. Start your vehicle and preheat the interior before you unplug your vehicle in the morning.¹

• Be prepared for the unexpected- Be sure to stock your vehicle with winter ready essentials such as an ice scraper or snow shovel. Pack extra food, water, warm clothes, and a blanket. Consider including sand in your winter essentials list. Sand is an abrasive material that can help get your vehicle get out of snow if you happened to get stuck in the snow. Be sure to have a flashlight or a warning device in case of an emergency.
• Protecting your children- Double check to make sure that your children are in the appropriate car seat or booster seat according to the maximum height and weight of the seat.

While Traveling:

• Keep an eye on your gas tank- It is highly suggested that do not let your gas tank fall below the half mark.
• Avoid risky driving behaviors- Such as texting and driving. Remember to obey all traffic laws such as always wearing a seat belt and not speeding above the speed limit. Avoid driving under the influence which includes dug impaired driving.
• Be aware of weather conditions- Do not use cruise control if you suspect that the road may have ice or snow on it.

In case of an emergency:

• To avoid asphyxiation from carbon monoxide poisoning, don’t run your car for long periods of time with the windows up or in an enclosed space.¹
• Be sure to stay with your vehicle- Your vehicle provides temporary shelter and makes it easier for rescuers to locate you. Do not try to walk in a severe storm. It is easy to lose sight of your vehicle in blowing snow and become lost.²

Staying informed and being prepared for long distance travel is extremely important. For more driving safety tips visit our page here.

Source:

1. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

2. AAA-Exchange

The Teen Driver Safety Program at Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt addresses the growing problem of teen motor vehicle crashes in Tennessee. Funded by Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services and The Allstate Foundation, the Be in the Zone (BITZ) Teen Motor Vehicle Safety program is a unique hospital-school collaborative program that educates teenage drivers of the dangers of texting while driving.

The BITZ program has worked with multiple counties across Middle Tennessee since 2011. Through our trauma admissions, we have identified counties and high schools of concern where teen motor vehicle crashes are high and where we could focus our efforts.

The BITZ program is comprised of both Phase 1 and Phase 2. Phase 1 is designed to keep teen drivers safe. Its' purpose is to teach teens motor vehicle safety in a hospital setting. The program is a team effort of the Trauma Program, Rehabilitation staff, and the Emergency Department staff. Before COVID-19, high school student leaders were chosen to participate in a day-long intensive Phase 1 program at the hospital. During Phase 1, students experienced:

• A presentation by a Trauma surgeon 
• Observed a mock simulation in the ED
• Injury Scenarios Activity with the Rehabilitation staff
• Heard from a Champions of Change speaker who has been personally affected by the consequences of distracted driving

Although, we are still in the middle of dealing with COVID-19 and facing the challenges associated with it, motor vehicle crashes are still the leading cause of death for teenagers. The good news is…the Be In The Zone program has now gone virtual to support social distancing and any COVID-19 restrictions.

We have converted our traditional hospital day visit into online learning modules designed to fit every school regardless if the school met virtually, hybrid, or fully in-person. During Phase 1, our participants were still able to hear from our pediatric trauma surgeon, observe a mock code simulation in the Emergency Department, and hear from our Rehabilitation staff concerning injury scenarios through pre-recorded learning modules.

150 students participated in our 1st ever virtual Phase 1 program!

Phase 2 of the BITZ Program is a teen motor vehicle safety program that encourages teenagers to translate the lessons they learned in Phase 1 into a year-long distracted driving campaign in their schools with a focus on cell phone use, especially texting while driving.

Our BITZ students are to develop and implement a multi-faceted, distracted driving campaign at their schools and in their communities. They are provided with a detailed instruction guide and other resources from Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt to assist with their campaign.

The BITZ campaign is in the form of a competition consisting of various competitions such as the Best Campaign, the Best T-Shirt Design, the Best Public Service Announcement (PSA),or the Best Social Media Campaign. Through the support of our funders, each competition involves cash prizes!

After a successful completion of our virtual Phase 1 program, each school will move into Phase 2 where our students will complete activities through our Best Campaign Competition, a Social Media Competition, and a Best Public Service Announcement (PSA) competition.

This year, eight high schools across 8 counties are participating in the campaign to spread the message about safe driving practices. The program has reached 9,198 students through our current program this year. We are proud of the leadership role our students have taken and the support the schools have shown in spreading this important message.

At the end of the program, each school and the winners for each competition are recognized at the End of The Year Awards Banquet in the spring.