There are also two types of
injury
 Unintentional: resulting from an
accident
 Intentional: resulting from assault,
abuse, or suicide
Injuries are caused by two
different mechanisms.
 Exposure to energy: either
through a direct energy source, like
heat or electricity, or through the
energy created by a crash or a fall
 Absence of essentials for life: such
as heat or oxygen, as in the case of
drowning
 In the US, unintentional injury is the
number one cause of death among
children ages 14 and under.
 More children die from unintentional
injury than from cancer, heart disease,
and birth defects.
 1 out of every 5 US children will need
medical attention for an unintentional
injury this year.
 Their bodies are smaller and more
fragile
 Their state of cognitive
development
 Their motor coordination and
reflexes
 Their limited life experience
 Males, who are injured
more often than females
 Native American, who
generally have the highest
death rates from
unintentional injury
(Asian-Americans have
the lowest)
 Children from
economically
disadvantaged families
 Falls, Bumps, and Bruises
 Airway obstruction injury
(suffocation, strangulation and
choking)
 Fires and burns
 Drowning, including near-drowning
 Poisoning
 Unintentional firearm injuries
 Sports and recreation-related
injury
Cause:
 Unstable posture of the toddler, presence of objects on
floor, lack of supervision, curiosity of the children, etc.
Prevention:
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Keep floors free of toys and obstructions.
Exercise close supervision when toddler learns to walk.
Never leave babies unattended on raised surfaces.
Check constantly floor surface for wear and tear.
Keep floor dry.
Always ensure bed-rail of the baby cot is raised when the
baby is in the cot.
Always use a securely fitted safety harness in a pram,
pushchair or highchair.
Windows and doors must be locked to avoid
misadventure by children.
Avoid placing “step-stones” such as a chair next to a
window.
Take extra care to avoid side-turning of a baby chair.
Cause:
 Accidental swallowing of foreign body, strangulation,
covering of head by blankets, accidental suffocation by
pillow while baby sleeps in a prone position, near-drowning
etc.
Prevention:
 Choose toys appropriate to the age of children. Avoid toys
with detachable small parts.
 Ensure small objects are kept out of reach of children.
 Pull cords on curtains and blinds should be kept short and
out of reach of children.
 Strings and plastic bags should be kept out of reach of
children.
 Foldable furniture should be properly placed and locked.
Instruct children not to play with them.
 Instruct children not to play while eating.
 Never let children use milk bottle by themselves without
adult’s supervision.
 Never use pillow for baby under one year of age. Do not use
large and heavy blanket. Never let the blanket cover the
face of children during sleep.
 Avoid sleeping with baby on the same bed.
 Lay your baby on his or her back for every sleep.
SIZE of toy and pieces
 Larger than the child’s two fists
No SHARP edges or points
 Broken toys should be fixed or thrown
away
NON-TOXIC materials
 Avoid all painted toys for babies &
toddlers
DURABLE, WASHABLE and CLEAN
 Toy’s that won’t break easily
 Toys that can be cleaned easily
Newborn to l-year-old baby
Choose brightly-colored, lightweight toys that appeal to your baby's sight, hearing
and touch.
1- to 2-year-old toddler
Toys for this age group should be safe and be able to withstand a toddler's curious
nature.
2- to 5-year-old preschooler
Toys for this age group can be creative or imitate the activity of parents and older
children.
Cause:
 Scald by hot water, burn by fire, touch on hot objects such
as cooking utensils, etc.
Prevention:
 For adults, never hold a hot drink/food and a child at the
same time.
 Ensure milk, congee or other foodstuff is at a reasonable
temperature before feeding.
 Ensure proper fence or door is installed at the entrance of
kitchen. Instruct children not to go into kitchen.
 While cooking, pay extra attention to the stove fire and
the cooking utensil. Turn the pan handle away from the
front, and close to the wall.
 When running a bath for a child, always test water
temperature beforehand.
 All hot objects including an iron or containers with hot
matter must not be placed near the margin of a table.
Avoid using tablecloth. Matches and lighters should be
placed out of reach of children.
 Instruct children not to wander around when adults are
preparing for a meal.
 Install proper cover to sockets.
 Warn children never play with fire.
Cause:
 water: in the bathroom, kitchen, swimming pools, or hot
tubs
Prevention:
 supervise young children near water, including pools,
spas, toilets, bathtubs and buckets.
 wear personal floatation devices when out on boats,
near open bodies of water.
 Never leave children alone near water
 Tell children never to run, push, or jump on others
around water
 Inflatable inner tubes and “water wings” are not safety
devices
 Children in baby bath seats and rings must be within
arm’s reach every second
 Make sure children swim within designated swimming
areas of rivers, lakes, and oceans
Cause:
 Food poisoning, accidental swallowing of
drugs, detergents, insecticides, etc.
Prevention:
 Keep medicines and chemicals out of sight
and reach of children, preferably in an
isolated, locked cabinet.
 Always store chemicals in their original
containers with appropriate labels.
 Never tell children drugs are “sweets” as this
may give a wrong idea to children.
 Ensure toys and dining utensils bought meet
the international standard, e.g. coloring
materials being non-toxic.
Injuries are NOT random. They
occur in predictable patterns, many
of which are based on the child’s
age, sex, the time of day, and
season of year.
Summer is the most dangerous time
of year for kids.
Children will be rushed to emergency
rooms nearly 3 million times this
summer. Don’t let your child be one
of them!
“Trauma Season” = May to Aug
The Solution
A Comprehensive Approach to Injury Prevention
• Education—We increase knowledge and change behavior with
consumer communications, media campaigns, retail promotions and
community-based activities.
• Empowerment—We empower parents and communities to take
responsibility for their children’s safety by fueling a national
grassroots network.
• Environment—We increase the quality of children’s lives by
enhancing design, development and distribution of safety products, and
by improving the environment where children live and play.
• Enactment—We work to pass, strengthen and enforce laws, and
encourage the development of voluntary safety standards and
guidelines to protect children.
• Evaluation—We determine the most effective behavior-changing
strategies and programs through research, data collection and
surveillance.
How can I keep my kids
safe at home?