Volume 25 Issue 48                                                                                   Fall 2022

Safety Source

                      Thank you for being part of the Safety Source family!

       Thanksgiving Safety Edition

 Our November monthly newsletter highlights Injury Prevention Day, Winter Safety Awareness Month, Thanksgiving Cooking Safety, Drowsy Driving Prevention and Tips to Prevent Carbon Monoxide Poisoning. There are interactive tools for your children to learn about kitchen safety and a fun video that shows how to be safe in the home. 

 There is also a Thankful Turkey craft! Let us know if we can be a resource to you in any way!

Injury is the leading cause of death for people through 44 years of age. On Friday, November 18, 2022, Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt will be joining the Injury Free Coalition for Kids and the country's leading injury and violence prevention organizations for the 3rd annual "National Injury Prevention Day," a day designed to raise awareness about the burden of injury, violence, and a need for change. Joining doctors, nurses, and community outreach personnel at Trauma Centers across the country will be Safe Kids Worldwide, Safe States Alliance, the American Trauma Society, The Society for Advancement of Violence and Injury Research, the Trauma Center Association of America, and Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association Cares.

As our fellow partners, concerned parents and advocates, please consider joining us by shining a green light on November 18^th to signify our common mission of keeping our kids injury free.

What can you do?

• If you are an organization and can light up your office or a TN landmark green -please help us!
• If you can post some great information or tips on how to keep kids safe, please do that and share with us on Twitter @VUMCpedsSafety
• If you are a parent or a safety advocate, consider lighting up your house green OR light a candle to show your support!

Take a picture and send to our Twitter account @VUMCpedsSafety

Help us spread the word and join the worthy cause! Thank you for your support!!

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Well, if you’re into chilly temps and winter sports, it can be. With families gathering to celebrate holidays and schools closed for breaks, Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt wants to ensure that your children are staying safe, while enjoying themselves, of course. Here are a few tips:

Whether your kids are hitting the slopes or the backyard hills, make sure they’re wearing helmets to protect them from Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).

Never, ever pull a sled or tube with a motorized vehicle! Each year, sledding accidents send children to the ER with serious and sometimes life-threatening injuries. Further information on sledding safety can be found here.

Driving in ice and snow can be dangerous. Take the extra precautions by ensuring you have warm clothes and blankets in the car, as well as a flashlight. Most importantly, be sure that everyone in the car is buckled safely. Children should be in car seats, booster seats, or seat belts, depending on their age and size. According to the Center for Disease Control, car seat use reduces the risk for injury in a crash by 71–82% for children, when compared with seat belt use alone. To make sure your child is in the appropriate seat, check out the Tennessee Child Restraint Law.  In addition to following the laws, we recommend going one step above the law and keeping children in each position as long as possible until they outgrow the height or weight of the seat as each position is safer than the next.

Our Injury Prevention Team is excited to offer the Nashville community and surrounding areas support and resources in keeping our kids safe. If you have any questions or suggestions, please don't hesitate to reach out to Program Manager stacey.pecenka@vumc.org.

As we get closer to the holiday season, many of us are preparing to make our favorite family recipes. For most, the kitchen is the heart of the home during this time and the whole family enjoys being part of the holiday preparations. For this reason, it is important to keep cooking safety at the top of your mind to protect yourself and your loved ones in the kitchen. Be sure to follow these simple tips from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) to cook family meals safely this holiday season:

• Stay in the kitchen when you are cooking on the stovetop so you can keep an eye on the food.
• Thanksgiving is the peak day for home cooking fires; reduce the chances of facing one of these incidents by staying in the home when cooking your turkey and checking on it frequently.
• Always keep children at least 3 feet away from the stove while it is hot.
• Keep knives, matches, lighters, and electric cords from kitchen appliances out of the reach of children.
• Keep the floor clear so you don’t trip over kids, toys, bags, or other common objects.
• Make sure your smoke alarms are working. Test them by pushing the test button.

If your child wants to get involved in helping prepare meals, there are safe ways for them to do so! Below are some suggestions for how children can help out in the kitchen. Remember that an adult should decide what is age-appropriate for the child to do and should always be supervising young children, regardless of the task.

• Get ingredients out of the refrigerator or pantry.
• Measure and mix ingredients together in a bowl.
• Wash fruits and vegetables off under cold water.
• Use a cookie cutter to cut shapes out of cookie dough
• Help plan the meal.

Keep these tips in mind this holiday season to have a safe (and delicious) celebration with your family!

Source:

“Thanksgiving.” NFPA, https://www.nfpa.org/Public-Education/Fire-causes-and-risks/Seasonal-fire-causes/Thanksgiving.

Everyone experiences fatigue at some point, whether because of working overtime at work, tending to a newborn or finding yourself wide awake at night with an inability to fall asleep. These things can lead us to become more accident-prone, particularly when it comes to driving.

Warning signs that you’re getting sleepy behind the wheel include:

• Drifting from your lane.

• Yawning or blinking frequently.

• An inability to remember the last few miles you drove.

• Hitting the rumble strip on the side of the road.

If you’re experiencing any of these while driving, pull off the road to rest or switch drivers.

In 2017, there were 91,000 police-reported crashes involving drowsy drivers nationwide.¹ Those crashes injured about 50,000 people and killed nearly 800.¹ Drowsy driving crashes occur most frequently between midnight and 6 a.m.¹ Many times the driver was the only person in the vehicle. Drowsy driving related crashes also has high occurrences on highways and rural roads. Drowsiness can affect your driving by making you less attentive, can slow down your reaction time, and can affect your ability to make decisions.³

Adults aren’t the only people experiencing drowsy driving. Getting enough sleep typically falls at the bottom of a teenager’s priority list after school, work, extracurriculars, and social activities. Mixing teen driving inexperience with fatigue can lead to the behaviors mentioned above, or worse: falling asleep while driving.

Smart tips for staying alert and preventing drowsy driving:

• Remember to get adequate sleep on a regular basis. Most adults need at least 7 hours of sleep each night.

• Avoid drinking alcohol before driving.

• Before a long road trip, get a good night’s rest and plan a driving schedule with the other drivers in the vehicle.

• Avoid taking medications that can make you sleepy.

The National Sleep Foundation says drowsy driving can be just as dangerous as drunk driving. With the lack of public awareness, it can be hard to pass any legal sanctions relating to drowsy driving. Now that you’re aware of the dangers of drowsy driving, remember to share this information with your family, friends, and teen drivers.

Source:

1. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

2. National Sleep Foundation

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a fatal, colorless, and odorless gas. It is created when a variety of fuels, such as coal, wood, charcoal, oil, kerosene, propane, and natural gas, are burned partially. CO is also produced by vehicles, lawnmowers, power washers, portable generators, and other items driven by internal combustion engines.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that hundreds of Americans die each year as a result of unintended carbon monoxide poisoning. Over 20,000 people go to the emergency room, and over 4,000 more end up in the hospital. Be sure to keep these safety tips from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in mind to protect your family or share with those around you:

-Do have your heating system, water heater, and any other gas, oil, or coal burning appliances serviced by a qualified technician every year.

-Do install a battery-operated or battery back up CO detector in your home.  Check or replace the battery when you change the time on your clocks each spring and fall.  

-Do seek prompt medical help if you suspect CO poisoning and are feeling dizzy, light-headed or nauseated.

-If the detector sounds, leave your home immediately and call 911.

-DO NOT use a generator, charcoal grill, camp stove, or other gasoline or charcoal burning device inside your home, basement, or garage or near a window.

-DO NOT run a car or truck inside a garage attached to your house, even if you leave the door open.

-DO NOT burn anything in a stove or fireplace that isn't vented.

-DO NOT hear your house with a gas oven.

-DO NOT use a generator, pressure washer, or any gasoline-powered engine less than 20 feet from any window, door, or vent.  Use an extension cord that is more than 20 feet long to keep the generator at a safe distance.

What should you do when the CO alarm sounds?

Never ignore an alarming CO alarm! It is warning you of a potentially deadly hazard. If the alarm signal sounds do not try to find the source of the CO:

● Immediately move outside to fresh air.

● Call your emergency services, fire department, or 911.

● After calling 911, do a headcount to check that all persons are accounted for.

● DO NOT reenter the premises until the emergency services responders have given you permission.

● If the source of the CO is determined to be a malfunctioning appliance, DO NOT operate that appliance

until it has been properly serviced by trained personnel.

Sources:

“Prevention Guidance | Carbon Monoxide Poisoning | CDC.” Prevention Guidance | Carbon Monoxide Poisoning | CDC, 14 Dec. 2018, www.cdc.gov/co/guidelines.htm#:~:text=Don%27t%20run%20a%20car,window%2C%20door%2C%20or%20vent.

“Carbon Monoxide Fact Sheet | CPSC.gov.” U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, www.cpsc.gov/safety-education/safety-guides/carbon- monoxide/carbon-monoxide-fact-sheet. Accessed 28 Oct. 2022.