TH E ROYAL BAN K O F CANADA
M O NTH LY LETTER
HEAD OFFICE: MONTREAL,FEBRUARY 1968
VOL.49,No.2
FatalHomeAccidents
CAN be Avoided
WHATIS AN ACCIDENT
9. Somepeoplethinkof it as beinga misadventure.
Othersdismiss
it as an unforeseen
or unexpected
event.Manythinkof it as a matterof
badluck.
In theinterest
of livinglonger
it is a mistake
to
treatthewordsooffhandedly.
Everyaccident
is caused
by somethingan unsafeact,an unsafepractice,
or
an unrealized
hazard.
Itis not"luck",
whichis onlya
wordwe useto coverourdefects
of knowledge.
If we
wishto livewe mustapplyourintelligence
so as to
preserve
ourselves.
Theshocking
factis that,in keeping
withindustry
and financewhichhavebecomecomputerized
to keep
up withbusiness,
Death,too,mustbe usinga computerto countthevictims
of accidents.
Thoughtful
peoplecan feelnothingbut chagrin
whentheyread the sad Canadianannualrecordof
11,000men,womenandchildren
killedin accidents,
morethana million
injured,
overa millionmillion
dollars
losteconomically,
and 14,000hospital
beds
takenupby accident
victims
everyday.It isa national
disgrace.
Butdeathbyaccident
isnotmerely
a statistical
fact
to be tabulated.
Deathis a personal
thing:
thereis a
shocking
finality
toit.
Lookat Canada’s
record:of everyhundredpeople
wholosttheir
lives
inaccidents
ina year,
46werekilled
in events
involving
motorvehicles;
15 deaths
resulted
fromfalls;10 weredrownings;
6 werein firesor explosions;
6 involved
mechanical
andfoodsuffocation;
4 werefrompoisoning;
and two eachwerecausedby
falling
objects,
machinery
andfirearms.
In everyoneof those"accidental"
deathssomeone
wasat fault.He useda safegadgetdangerously;
he
dida safeactin an unsafeway;he useda dangerous
article
carelessly;
he failed
to lookaheadtotheconsequences
of whathe was aboutto do.
A key wordis "carelessness".
Thepoisontakenby
mistake
killsjustas certainly
as thattakendeliberately.Theheedlessly
drivenautomobile
killsjustas
certainly
as thedeliberately
dropped
bomb.Thefire
causedby a cigarette
killsjustas certainly
as that
started
deliberately
by an arsonist.
No one canopt
outof responsibility
bypleading
thoughtlessness.
Accidentsat home
Although
measurable
progress
hasbeenmadein reducingthedeathratefromhomeaccidents,
theystill
rankamongtheleading
causes
of death,
andthisLetter
is devoted
to discussing
waysof avoiding
them.
Theyhappenalloverthehouse:30 percentin the
kitchen-dining
quarters;
24 percentin theporchor
yardarea;18 percentin theliving
andsleeping
quarters;12 percenton stairs;
3 percentin thebathroom;
3 percentin thecellar;
2 percentinhallways;
1 per
centin thegarage;
and7 percentin otherareas.
Theyhappen
in allsortsof ways:38 percentresult
fromfallson thelevel;14 percentfromfallsfrom
heights;
13 percentfromhotor burning
substances;
9 percentfromhandling
materials
or objects;
2 per
centfromfalling
material;
and10 percentfromother
causes.
Accidental
deathshappenat allages:in oneyear
therewere492accidental
deaths
fromallcauses
in the
underone-year-old
group;712deathsat ages1 to 4;
1,137at ages5 to14;2,192atages15to 24;3,111at
ages25to 44;2,788atages45 to64;and2,521at ages
65 andover.Thetotalof accidental
deathsin Canada
in 1965was10,978.
Theprevention
of homeaccidents
is a challenging
problem.
Safetyin thehomeis justas mucha partof
homeoperation
as bringing
homethepayenvelope
or
cooking
dinner.
Playingsafemeansappraising
everynew machine
andgadget
to uncover
itsunsafe
qualities,
andtaking
immediate
stepsto protect
peoplefromthem.It means
constant
vigilance,
takinga newlookat everything
in
thehouseperiodically
to discover
newanddeveloping
dangers.
It takesaccount
of hardfacts:a four-cycle
engineturning
a 20-inch
bladeon a rotary
grassmower
canhurla pebbleat a speedof up to 170milesper
hour,thespeedof a shellfragment.
It isnotpossible
toeliminate
everyhazard,
butit is
an undoubted
responsibility
to makeeveryoneconscious
of thehazards
thatexist.
Without
co-operation
of allin thefamily,
parents
arelimited
inwhatthey
cando to prevent
accidents.
Likeindustrial
concerns,
thehomeshouldmakeorganized
accident
prevention
anintegral
partoflife.
Whynot forma familysafetycouncil,
withevery
memberof the familychargedwithexamining
conditionsregularly
? If everyone
is imbued
withthesafety
spirit
therewillbe noneedtonagor totalktiresomely
aboutsafety.
Parents
mustsetthetoneby whattheydo andsay.
Telling
is nottraining.
Children
needto be shownand
to havethingsexplained
to them.Theyshouldbe commendedfor safetysuggestions
and for examplesof
safety
precautions.
Then,as a combination
of allthese
efforts,
thehabitof safetywillfollowthemthrough
their
lives.
An excellent
bookof 32 pages,illustrated,
is publishedby the CanadianGas Association,
available
fromlocalgascompany
offices.
It is called
HomeSafe
Home,andcovers
allaspects
of homesafety
fromtelevision
aerial
tothecellar.
Safety
of children
Children
area special
caseinthebroadsafety-fromaccidents
picture.
Theydon’tdieof diseases
nearly
to
theextent
theyusedto,butaccidents
takean increasingtolloflifeandlimb.
Everyhomehasbuilt-in
accident
possibilities,
and
thereis no magicformula
guaranteed
to protect
children.Thereis,however,
a growing
appreciation
of the
goodthatcan be doneby providing
supervision,
removingknownhazards,teaching
simplesafetymeasures,
andsetting
goodexamples.
A motherhasto relatetodayto yesterday,
because
whatbabycouldn’t
possibly
dothenheis quitecapable
of doingnow.She has to keepher thinking
up with
herchild’s
thinking:
hiscuriosity
is extending
itself
everyhourlPitting
herwitagainst
thebaby’s
curiosity
is a rugged
game,butthereward
is preservation
of the
baby’s
life.
Accidentprevention
beginswithone hundredper
centprotection.
Thebabyis completely
at themercy
ofitscustodians.
Asonespeaker
putitto a convention
of pediatricians:
"Ifit is burned,
drowned,
poisoned,
crushedor mangled
it is because
it hasbeendenied
protection
bythoseresponsible
foritscare."
It is ofthenature
ofbabies
totwistandsquirm
and
roll;therefore
theyshould
neverbe leftforan instant
in a position
wheretheycantoppleintodanger.
Beddingshouldbe pinned,
buttoned,
or foldedin sucha
waythatsmothering
isimpossible.
Waterisn’tsafeuntilthechildlearns
to respect
it.At various
ages,a
coupleof inchesof waterin a basin,a six-inch
deep
playpool,a weed-strewn
pond,anda too-shallow
divingpoolaremenacesto children.
TheSaskatchewan
Department
of PublicHealthbookletA ChildSafety
Handbooksayswithoutcompromise:
"Neverleavea
smallchildalonein a bathtub
forevenonesecond.
Let
thetelephone
ring!"
As children
leavethebabystageit mayappearto
parents
thattheygo looking
fortrouble.
Whatof it?
To exploretheunknownis howtheylearn.Whatparentsneedtodoislookforthetrouble
before
ithappens
andprevent
it fromhappening.
Littleprecautions
count.Keeprazorblades,
pins,
buttonsand othersmallobjectsout of reach.Lock
doorsthatopento potential
danger.Keepmedicines
in a highlatched
cabinet.
Readlabels
carefully
before
using
thecontents
of anybottle
orpackage.
Sealallunusedelectric
outlets
withadhesive
tapeor by special
plugsmadeforthispurpose.
Thesewarnings
seemhackneyed,
buttheirverycommonplaceness
is the reasonfor repeatedemphasis.
Smallomissions
or faultscausethegreatest
amount
of
tragedy
andheartache.
Teaching
self-protection
Hazards
multiply
asthechildlearns
to creep,
walk,
andclimb.He embarks
uponan orgyof exploration
in
a world
thatisallnewtohim.Hewilltaste,
tug,touch
andtesteveryarticle
within
hisever-growing
reach.
He
needsfreedom,
buthe needslimits,
too.Absolute
protection
mustbemaintained
against
lethal
andcrippling
hazards,
buttherun-about
childmustbeginto amass
a back-log
of experience
fromslightmishaps,
andso
gainsomepractical
concepts
of pain,heat,gravity
and
non-edibility.
As children
growthroughtheirearlyyearsthey
should
be progressively
learning
toprotect
themselves.
Givethemliberty
to explore
andexperiment
withina
circlewhichyoudrawfirmlyandexplain
simply.
Discipline
is a safety
tool,thefore-runner
ofselfdiscipline.
Itmayfindexpression
in a sternvoice,
deprivation
ofprivilege,
andquite
oftenintheearly
years
an expertly
placedswat.Onerequirement
is thatthe
discipline
be reasonable,
consistent
andunderstandable.Theparent
should
showthatit arises
fromaffection.
An authority
on childtrainingsuggests
thattwo
approaches
and two tonesof voiceare needed.When
youwanta childto do or notto do something
thatis
notassociated
withdanger,
askhim:whenitis to preservehim fromharm,orderhim.Makecertainwords
meanimplicit
obedience:
"lookout;go slowly;
no!"
and particularly
"stop".Don’tgivesuchcommands
unlesstheyareneeded,
butthengivethemin a commandvoice.
Someparents
abdicate
theirauthority
by threateninga childwitha "bogeyman"
or "thepolice"
to reinforcesafety
discipline.
Others
weaken
theroleof punishment
by handing
outthesamepenalty
fora deaththreatening
actlikepulling
an electric
extension
plug
outofitssocket
asfora trivial
offence
likescribbling
on thewall.
To replace
theforbidden
fruitof dangerous
activity,
something
safemustbe provided.
Learning
something
to dois quiteas important
forsafety
as learning
the
many thingsnot to do. Whenforbiddinga boy to
climbon a fencewherethereis poisonivyor barbed
wire,or ona treewithunsafe
branches,
a father
needs
toshowa fenceora treethatis safetoclimb.
Climbing
is allright,
thelesson
says,butonemustchoose
the
right
places
to climb.
Parents
shouldpassalongtheirsafetyrequirements
to baby-sitters.
A baby-sitters’
course
wasstarted
in
Saskatchewan
yearsago.It provides
a childsafety
handbook,
a baby-sitter’s
test,anda checklistwhich
is anexample
of theanticipation
of danger
emphasized
inthisLetter.
Thechecklist,inaddition
to telling
aboutfeeding,
and bathingand bedding-down,
tellsthe telephone
numberwherethe parentsmaybe reached,
the emergencytelephone
numbers,
andwhatto do first,second
andthird
in caseofemergency.
In theevent
of fire,
for
example,
thefirst
thingtodoisto getthechildren
out
safely;
thencallthefiredepartment
froma neighbour’s
house.
youandyourfamilyas yourpreventive
measures
push
it.
Nearlyallfiresaredueto humanblunders.
Having
an alarmsystem,
fireextinguishers
andescaperoutes
doesnotprovide
thesecurity
youcanobtain
by taking
allpossible
precautions
toprevent
firefromstarting.
Housefiresin Canadaarecaused,
according
to the
federal
firecommissioner’s
office,
by:smol(ers’
carelessness
47 percent;heating
equipment
16 percent;
rubbish
andtrash12 percent;electric
wiring
10 per
cent;flammable
liquids
4 percent;ashes3 percent;
others
(usually
notconnected
withhomefiresafety)
percent.
Safety
consists
intheproper
handling
ofpotentially
dangerous
equipment
andmaterial.
Heatingapparatus
mustnotbe allowed
to gettoohot;rubbish
should
not
accumulate;
electric
wiringmustnot be overloaded
or unprotected
by insulation;
flammable
liquids
must
notbestored
indoors.
Carelesssmokingin bed- and is any smokingin
bedcareful?takesitstollthrough
flamesand asphyxiation.
Thepractice
is foolhardy
because
no one
is immune
to falling
asleep
without
extinguishing
the
Preventingaccidents
cigarette.
Goodhousekeeping--cleanliness
and orderliness
Should
a firestart,
doeseveryone
in thehouseknow
--is a fundamental
of accident
prevention.
It removes howto escape? Thereshouldbe periodical
reminders
thecauses.
given,
andfiredrill
carried
outso thateveryone’s
role
becomes
automatic.
Even
in
a
great
fireproof
structure
Good housekeeping
involvesthe arrangement
of
liketheRoyalBankBuilding
in Montreal
thereare
furniture,
thedisposal
of scrapandthephysical
conposters
displayed
in
every
department
telling
whatto
dition
ofthehouse.
Itmakessurethatdoorsatthetop
do
in
case
of
fire.
Preparedness
is
just
as
important
in
ofstairs
arekeptlocked;
thatmopsandpailsandcaryour
home.
tonsandbundles
arenotplacedin darkcorners;
that
electric
wiresare notallowedto becomefrayedor
A 28-page
handbook,
wellillustrated,
hasbeenprekinked;and thatobjectsare not scattered
around
paredby the DominionFireCommissioner,
Ottawa,
wheretheymaybe tripped
over.
in collaboration
withtheProvincial
FireMarshals
and
Fire
Commissioners.
Copies
of
Fire
Safety
in
the
Home
Fallscompose
a largeandincreasing
proportion
of
directly
fromtheQueen’s
Printer
in
thetotalaccident
mortality
notonlyduring
childhood maybe obtained
Ottawa
or
at
Canadian
Government
book
shops.
The
butinlaterlife.Onlymotorvehicle
fatalities
exceed
priceis 25cents.
A companion
booklet
is entitled
Farm
thetollfromfalls.Thecausesareinnumerable:
toys
Fire
Safety.
leftstrewn
on thefloor,
frayed
ropeson swings,
extensioncordsstretched
acrossrooms,smallrugson
Poison lurks everywhere
smooth
surfaces,
badly-lighted
stairs,
neglect
to use
rubbermatsin bath-tubs,
wateror greaseon floors,
Poisoning
isa senseless,
tragic
thingbecause
every
tornlinoleum
orcarpet,
stepping
onor offa chairthat
accidental
poisoning
represents
a humanerroror huisresting
ona waxedfloor.
mannegligence.
Allof thesearepreventable
falls-preventable
by
Thebelltolledin Canada
in 1965formorethan400
theelimination
of thecauseandcarefulness
in thedopeoplewhodiedof accidental
poisoning.
ing.Everything
climbed
uponshouldbe tested,
anda
hand-hold
found:
ladders,
chairs,
benches,
stepstools
Allhousehold
poisons
andmedicines
shouldbe kept
andboxes.Stairsshouldbe provided
withhandrails outof reachof children.
Evensimpleremedies
maybe
andthestepsshould
neverhaveanything
lefton them.
dangerous.
An adultwho takesa harmless
pillin a
Put a markerof some sort--astripof metalor a
slightoverdose
maynot suffergreatharm,butwhen
painted
line--at thetopandbottom
ofstairs
thatare
thiseffect
ismagnified
bythesmallness
ofa childthe
steepor notwelllighted.
Whencarrying
thingsup or
danger
isreal.
downstairs
don’t
carryloadsthatwillblockyourview.
Medicinecabinetfollyis commonplace.
We reach
unthinkingly
fora bottleof medicine
andgetholdof
Fire menaces everyone
a poison-containing
compound
instead.
The rulefor
self-preservation
is:donottakeorgivemedicine
inthe
Thedangerof deathby fireis onlyas remotefrom
oldcannotbe expected
to differentiate
between
the
dangerous
thingsandsuchsafeplaythings
as potsand
pans.
Afterallthewarnings
thathavebeengiveninschool,
on radioandtelevision
andin thepress,
it ishardto
understand
whyanyonewouldstoredisinfectants,
insecticides,
ratpoison,
andothersimilar
materials
near
food,foodcontainers,
andcooking
utensils.
Butthis
dangerous
practice
persists
totakeitstolloflives.
darkor whenonlyhalfawakeor withoutreading
the
label.
An hour’sworkwithhammerand saw willprovide
a doorshielding
oneor moreshelves
in thedrugcupboard.Theseshelvesarefor poisonous
or dangerous
items,
allofwhichshould
beclearly
labelled.
Tenmore
minutes
willruna lightfroma nearbyoutlet,
to be
turnedon whenselecting
a bottleor a package.
Poison-control
centresin somecommunities
performa usefulservice.
Theyprovide
information
about
the poisonous
substances
presentin household
productswhichmaybe eatenor imbibed
accidentally,
and
themethods
of emergency
treatment.
If thereis a centrein yourarea,enteritstelephone
numberin your
"Emergency
calls"
list.
To stayalive
Somepersonal
andfamilyactivities
havebeenoutlined,
butthereis additional
scopeforsaving
oflife
throughcommunity
action.
Carewithelectricity
Keepelectricity
initsplace
anditissafe.
Loose
electricity
playsnofavourites:
ifmishandled
itwillkillan
octogenarian
asreadily
as a two-year-old.
Examine
lampcordsandextension
cordsfrequently
andreplace
themiftheyare
frayed
oriftheinsulation
is
hardandbrittle.
Be careful
evenwhenchanging
bulbs.
A manwaselectrocuted
whenhisfingerslippedinto
thesocket
whilehe wasputting
a newbulbin hisbasementfixture.
Donotfiddle
withtheinside
ofyourtelevision
set,evenif it is disconnected.
Useno heavier
fusesthan15 amperein lighting
circuits:
othersmay
overload
the wiringand causeit to heat,withthe
danger
ofstarting
a fire.
Lookfor thesafetylabelon electrical
and other
heating
equipment.
Nationally
recognized
testing
laboratories,
suchas thoseof theCanadian
Standards
Association,
theUnderwriters’
Laboratories,
theCanadianElectrical
Association,
theCanadian
GasAssociation,
andtheAssociation
ofLighting
Engineers,
test
andlabelmostoil-andgas-fired
andelectrical
heating
equipment
to accepted
safety
specifications.
A specialplace
The kitchen
is oneof themostdangerous
roomsin
thehouse.
Ifallthehazards
thatexist
ina kitchen
were
foundin anindustrial
plant,
officials
wouldinsist
on
protective
devices
andanti-accident
drill.
Thekitchen
is a combination
factory,
bakery,
cannery,laundry,
butchershop,restaurant,
household
workshop,
andchildren’s
playground.
Here,indeed,
is
splendid
practice
ground
forthefamily
safety
council.
It is an elementary
precaution
to turnpothandles
toward
thebackof thestove,yeta numberof children
arefatallyscalded
everyyearwhentheybringdown
uponthemselves
a potof soupor a saucepan
of boiling potatoes.
Womenare fatallyburnedwhentheir
clothing
catches
firefroman openflame.
"Underthesink"is a handyplaceto keepammonia,
soap,solvents,
detergents,
lye,furniture
polish,
silver
polish,
anddraincleaner..,
but"underthesink"is
oneofthemosttempting
places
to a child.
A two-yearAuthorized
as secondclassmailby thePostOffice
Department,
Ottawa,and forpaymentfor postage
in cash.
4
Thefatalaccident
menacemustbe attacked
witha
balanced
programme
in fourmajorareasoutsidethe
home:research,
to findsaferproducts
andpractices;
engineering,
to addprotection
to equipment
andutensils;enforcement
of laws,to prevent
carelessness
by
onefrominjuring
another;
andeducation,
so thatsafe
thinking
andsafedoingbecome
partofourwayof life.
In manycommunities,
parentshavebeenthe moving forcebehindsafetymeasures.
Doctors,
who are
familiar
withthepain,fearandlossdueto accidents,
aremakingmajorcontributions
through
advising
parentson theprinciples
of accident
prevention
andby
promoting
community
programmes
for safety.
Safety
education
shoulddirect
attention
to hazards
andto thehumanfactors
responsible
forfatalities,
and
tellhowthesemay be met andovercome.
Thiseducationstarts
inthehome,progresses
through
school,
and
shouldcontinue
amongadults.Themagnitude
of the
problem
warrants
speedyandearnest
action.
The prudent
mind
Itis ridiculous
thatinan ageofwonderful
discovery
of drugsandinvention
of devices
to keepus alivethe
deadliest
enemyof menand womenis something
that
liesintheirownhandsto defeat.
Thehazard
factor
inliving
canneverbewholly
eliminated,
butmuchcanbe doneto reduceit.
Lifeistooprecious
to trust
toluck,andyoucanrely
on yourguardian
angelor yourSt.Christopher
medal
onlyafteryouhavedoneyourbestto guardyourself.
If youhavemadeprovision
fordealing
withdangers
thatcanbe anticipated,
thenyourmindis freeto improvise
whatis needed
to dealwiththeunexpected.
If
youmakeit a habitto avoidsituations
outof which
accidents
emerge,thenyou haveresources
to cope
withnewcontingencies.
Of thisbe sure:whena deathoccursdueto some
actor omission,
"I didn’t
think"is notan acceptable
or solacing
excuse.
Itis goodwisdom
toallowprudence
to keepus alive,
and,anyhow,
thefaultof over-caution
is preferable
to
themistake
of beingkilled.