Volume 14 Issue 11 .                                                                                             Summer 2020

Thank you for being a Safety Source family!

Summer Safety Tips Edition

This week we want to focus on Summer Safety Tips and provide you with tips on how to keep your whole family safe this summer. There are interactive tools for your children to learn the importance Summer Safety, Hot Cars, Lawnmower safety, Grill Safety, and ATV safety as well as 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 the weather warms up more ATV crash admission start coming into trauma centers. Two common things we see with our ATV trauma admissions are that they are not wearing helmets and they are either carrying passengers or are a passenger themselves. This can result in serious injuries. Many ATV injuries are head injuries. Wearing a helmet may reduce the severity of these injuries. Most of the deaths and injuries occur when an inexperienced driver loses control of an ATV, is thrown from an ATV, overturns the vehicle, or collides with a fixed object.

Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt fully supports recommendations by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the American College of Surgeons (ACS) that children 16 and under should not ride ATVs due to the high risk of serious injuries. However, if parents plan to allow their child to ride an ATV despite the known risk that these vehicles pose to children, the following safety measures are strongly recommended:

• Always wear protective gear – especially a helmet – when riding ATVs. Head injuries are by far the leading cause of death and disability related to ATV crashes. Helmets are known to reduce head injuries by 85 percent. Wear a motorcycle or motorized sports helmet and make sure it is certified by the U.S. Department of Transportation or the Snell Memorial Foundation.
• Avoid driving ATVs with a passenger or riding as a passenger. The majority of ATVs are designed to carry only one person.
• Take a hands-on safety training course if one is available in your area.
• Do not drive ATVs on paved roads. ATVs are difficult to control on paved roads. Collisions with cars and other vehicles can be deadly.
• Do not permit children to drive or ride adult ATVs. Children are involved in about one-third of all ATV-related deaths and hospital emergency room injuries. Most of these deaths and injuries occur when a child is driving or riding on an adult ATV.

For more information on ATV safety visit https://www.childrenshospitalvanderbilt.org/program/atv-safety

As the weather begins to warm up, gardening, lawn care, and other outdoor activities begin to climb your to-do lists, it is important to be aware of the injuries that could possibly arise. Every year thousands of children present to the emergency department due to lawn mower related injuries. These injuries are often very traumatic and can include amputation of fingers, toes, and a severe eye injury.

Please consider these tips to help reduce the risk of lawn mower injuries:

• Make sure to closely read and follow the owner’s manual.
• Children under the age of 16 should not operate or ride on a ride-on mowers.
• Children under the age of 12 should not operate a walk-behind power mower.
• Make sure to wear closed toed shoes and avoid wearing sandals when operating a lawn mower.
• Always consider whether conditions before mowing the lawn:
  •  Never mow your yard when the grass is wet.
  • Avoid mowing the lawn after sunset

• If possible, try to keep children out of the yard when mowing the lawn.
• To prevent possible eye injuries, it is important to wear eye protection when you using a lawn mower.
• Make sure to check the area for any objects that could picked up and thrown by the lawn mower blades. This includes toys, stones, and twigs.
• After turning off the lawn mower, make sure the blades have completely stopped before unclogging the chute or removing the grass catcher.
• Remember to drive up and down slopes and try to avoid going backwards.

Points to consider before allowing your child to operate a lawn mower:

• Kids need to be strong and mature enough to use the mower.
• Remember to practice safe habits when showing your child how to operate the mower.
• Supervise him or her until both you of you feel comfortable.

https://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/at-home/Pages/Lawnmower-Safety.aspx

https://www.aap.org/en-us/about-the-aap/aap-press-room/news-features-and-safety-tips/Pages/Lawn-Mower-Safety-Tips-from-the-AAP.aspx

As the weather warms up, it is a great time to get together with family and friends. It is also important to remember car seat safety as the weather becomes extremely hot. It can be easy to forget a child in the car especially if they are sleeping. It is critical you always remember to bring your child inside when leaving the car.

According to Safe Kids, at least one child dies every 10 days from heatstroke in the vehicle. Heatstroke happens when a child’s temperature becomes hot too quickly and is unable to cool itself. According to Healthy Children, children’s vital organs began to function improperly when their body temperature reaches 104 degrees Fahrenheit (F). Also, a car can heat up 19 degrees in just 10 minutes and children’s bodies heat up two to three times faster than an adult does. A hot car can become very dangerous quickly. It doesn’t take a heat wave for heatstroke in a car to occur. The lowest outside temperature at which heatstroke can occur is 57 degrees. Even cracking a window, does not work in preventing heatstroke. The most common reason for child heatstroke in a parked vehicle is a parent forgetting to remove a child from the car. While this is easily preventable, it can happen to any parent. Usually, parents will forget a child in the car when a daily routine is interrupted or changed. Whether or not you think something like this could happen to you, it is important to take precautionary measures. Below are a few tips to help you remember to always remove your child from the car:

• Set reminders/alarms on your phone to alert you to remove your child from the car
• Always check the back seat before leaving the car
• Avoid distracted driving such as cell phone usage
• Lock your vehicle when you are not in the car to help prevent children from entering the car unattended
• Place a stuffed animal or toy in the car seat when your child is not riding in the car. Move it to the front seat as when the child is riding in the car to remind you to remove the child from the vehicle.
• Teach children cars are not safe places to play or hide in
• If your child is missing, check vehicles and trunks first.
• Have a plan with childcare provider: If your child does not show up to daycare or school without prior notice, someone should call to locate the child. Have your childcare provider call if your child is more than 10 minutes late.
• If you see a child in a hot car, immediately call 911 and emergency personnel will guide on what to do.

In addition, a good Samaritan law that went into effect in Tennessee July 1, 2014, gives legal protection to those who attempt to remove a child from a vehicle for the sake of saving a life. According to the law, those who have a reasonable belief a child is in danger and have contacted law enforcement/fire department for assistance can forcibly enter a locked vehicle without fear of punishment (T.C.A. § 29-34-209) 

Sources:

https://www.safekids.org/heatstroke

https://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/on-the-go/Pages/Prevent-Child-Deaths-in-Hot-Cars.aspx

https://www.kidcentraltn.com/health/safety/look-before-you-lock--don-t-leave-kids-alone-in-hot-cars.html

Grilling is one of the most popular ways to cook food especially in the summertime. A growing awareness is needed for grilling related injuries. The National Fire Protection Association says that on average over 9,000 home fires are caused by outdoor grilling.

Stay safe this summer when grilling by following these safety tips:

Stay safe this summer when grilling by following these safety tips:

• Only use your grill outside! Remember to position your grill at least 3 feet away from any siding or deck rails.
• Establish a 3 feet safety zone around the area near your grill. This will help to prevent children from getting injured.
• Once you start the fire, always keep an eye on your grill. Consider planning ahead for the items you will need. So you won’t have to walk away from your grilling station.
• Remember to check and remove the grease tray before lighting your grill. 1 in 5 grill fires, the grills had not been cleaned.
• Use long handled grilling tools to avoid the risk of getting burned.
• It is important to teach your children that lighters, and matches are dangerous, and any loose lighters should be reported to an adult.
• Once the coals from your grill have cooled off, remember to place them in a metal can.

Hosting cookouts and grilling with families can be an exciting time. By keeping these safety tips in mind during the summer months, will help to keep your family safe.

https://www.nfpa.org/standard_items/search_results?searchStr=grilling&keyword=42447a6d-93cc-5068-b666-c1e78914977f

https://www.safekids.org/blog/6-grilling-tips-keep-your-kids-safe

https://www.usfa.fema.gov/prevention/outreach/media/social_toolkits/toolkit_outdoor.html