Jama Willbanks, MS, NREMT-P

Injury Prevention for Child Care

Providers

Topics

• Indoor Safety

• Toys

• Outdoor & Playground Safety

• Emergency Procedures

Fun Fact

• Iceland has the lowest child mortality rates of all of the developed countries!

What are some common injuries

in a child care setting?

•Cuts, scrapes, bruises

•Head injuries

•Broken bones, dislocations

•Internal injuries

• Poisoning • Drowning

• Burns

• Choking, Suffocation, Strangulation

Who gets

injured?

• Infant injury rates are low.

• Injury rates increase with age.

• Children 2-5 years old have the highest rate.

• At age 5 number of injuries in boys increases compared to that of girls.

How are children injured?

•Falls •Involvement with other children •Colliding with objects •Contact with objects •Motor vehicle accidents •Bicycle accidents •Drowning

When do injuries happen?

Spring and summer

Late in the morning and

Late in the afternoon

Why are children injured?

Why are children injured?

•Lack of safety knowledge •Lack ability (imitation of others)

•Hazards in the environment and access to toxic materials

Why are children injured?

•Lack of safety precautions and supervision •Inattention to the importance of using safety devices

Section 1:

Indoor Safety and Health

Outlet Covers

Adult MUST stay with child.

Strangulation Hazards

Children think this is candy.

Safety Stickers/Posters

Every phone should have 911 stickers and a number for the

nearest poison control center:

1-800-222-1222.

Ongoing Safety and Monitoring

Environmental changes can occur almost daily; new children are present,

new furniture and equipment, pets, seasons change. Every change should

initiate a safety evaluation.

Age Appropriate Toys

Toy Chests / Shelves

Faulty latches can be a problem. Latch must keep top open until it is pushed close.

Toy Chests / Shelves

• Chests must also have room for air flow as this one does with a space under the lid.

Get rid of dangerous

toys!!

Safe Toys--up to 1 year

• Large blocks of wood or plastic • Pots and pans

• Soft washable animals, dolls or balls

• Toys that make noises

Safe toys--Up to 1 year

• Busy boards • Squeeze toys

• Bright movable objects out of

baby’s reach

Safe toys--1 to 2 years

• Cloth or plastic books with large pictures

• Stacking toys • Balls •

Large blocks

Safe toys--1 to 2 years

• Push or pull toys without long strings

• Toy telephone but without long

cord

The toy is too small if it can fit through a toilet paper

tube.

Safe toys-- 3 to 6*Books (short or action)

*Building blocks

*Crayons & Nontoxic paints

*Housekeeping toys

*Outdoor toys (sandbox with lid, slide, playhouse)

Safe toys-- 3 to 6*Transportation toys

*Tape player

*Puzzles (large pieces)

*Chalkboards *Balls

*Simple board games

*Dramatic play toys

Safety Lessons

Teach children important safety lessons such as stop-drop-and-roll, how to call 911, stranger danger, etc.

Teach children to call 9-1-1, not 9-eleven. Children will look for the eleven button on the phone.

Section 2:

Outdoor Safety/Travel

Safety

Are bubbles safe?

Children can become exhausted and their head can

go below water level.

What if a child walked across this?

This is better. Also need 5’ Fence &

Alarms

Every pool must have a fence.

United States Consumer Product Safety Commission’s

statistics say there is an estimated 200,000 playground

related injuries that require emergency room visits each

year.

About 45% of playground-related injuries are severe—fractures, internal injuries,

concussions, dislocations, and amputations.

   About 75% of nonfatal injuries

related to playground equipment occur on public playgrounds. Most

occur at schools and daycare centers.

 

   Between 1990 and 2000, 147 children ages 14 and younger died from playground-related injuries.

  Of them, 82 (56%) died from strangulation and 31 (20%) died from falls to the playground surface. Most

of these deaths (70%) occurred on home playgrounds (Tinsworth

2001).   

Since 1985:

17 deaths and 42 nonfatal incidents caused by drawstring

entanglement.

A game called “suicide” on the playground may cause head injury

Falls

Most common type of fall leading to hospitalization is a fall from one level to another. (playground equipment, beds,

tables, chairs and stairs)

Severe fatal injuries

usually from second story

or higher windows.

The following picture is this author’s three year old son after

his dad let him fall out of a shopping cart. He broke his

nose.

Trampolines

Nationally, trampoline injuries rose 140 percent between 1990 and 1996, leading both the American Academy of Pediatrics and the CDC to advise parents against buying a trampoline for home use.

Trampolines

•Never allow a child under 6 to use a trampoline.

•Only allow one child at a time to use it.

•Always have an adult spotter when the trampoline is in use.

Trampoline Safety

Ways to Make Playgrounds Safe

1.) Make sure staff supervision is present at the playground.

2.) Guide children to play on age appropriate equipment.

3.) Survey the play area and make sure it is free of apparent

hazards.

4.) Check the playground surface for cushioned surfacing beneath equipment and its fall areas.

5.) Examine equipment such as ladders, platforms and steps.

6.) Survey types and quality of swings.

7.) Check out the slides.

8.) Review seesaw area.

9.) Inspect the action of merry-go-rounds.

10.) Leave area safe for next use.

Can a playground be too safe??

If it’s boring, kids might find somewhere else to play

such as railroad tracks……

Helmet Safety•80% of all bicycle deaths are due to head or brain injury.

•Bicycle helmets reduce head injury by 85% and brain injury by 88%.

•Helmets are needed to skateboards, roller-skates and inline skates.

Helmet was pushed back on head, leaving forehead exposed. Put helmet on and stand against wall

front and back. No part of your head should touch the

wall.

Safety Education•Teach children about safety.

•As soon as kids can walk they can learn simple concepts of car and traffic safety.

Safety Education

•Be a good role model.

•Include safety in daily curriculum, activities and trips.

Safety Gear• Is wearing protective gear

enough??

• When would it not help?

• Are there any downsides to our usage of safety gear?

• The downside to safety equipment is that it may offer a false sense of security.

• Children and adolescents might play in more dangerous areas, such as a busy parking lot or street, because they feel safe.

Proper Child Safety Seat

Use

Motor Vehicle Safety

•Properly used child safety seats and seat belts reduces death and severe injuries due to car crashes by 40-55%.

Infants

•Birth to 1 year in age, up to 20-22 lbs.

•Infant only or rear-facing convertible seats.

•Seat position should be rear facing.

•Harness straps at or below shoulder level.

Motor Vehicle Safety

www.nhtsa.gov

Toddler

•Over 1 year old and between 20-40 lbs.

•Convertible/ forward facing seats.

•Seat position should be forward facing.

•Harness straps at or above shoulders.

•Most seats require top slot for forward facing.

Young Children•40- 80 lbs.

•Use a belt positioning booster seat (use with both lap and shoulder belt).

•Forward facing position.

•Lap belt snug across upper thighs and shoulder belt across chest and shoulder.

Motor Vehicle Safety

www.nhtsa.gov

All children age 12 and under

should ride in the back seat!

Stranger Danger

Stranger Tricks

There are commonly used tricks to lure children.

Discuss these with children, come up with your own and

practice, role-play.

1. Asking for help.

2. Offering gifts.

3. Saying there is an emergency and that the child’s parents have sent them.

4. Getting child to let them into center/house/play area.

5. Telling a child their parents don’t love them anymore.

6. Intermingle with group of children during playtime or fieldtrip.

Section 3: Emergency Procedures

General Plan

• Remain calm, alert others to potential hazards.

•Account for children.

•Look for loose or downed power lines, avoid area and report problems to local utility.

•Look for electrical system damage: sparks, broken/frayed wires, smell of burning insulation. Turn off electricity at main switch if possible.

•Shut off water.

•If you smell gas or hear blowing or hissing, open a window and leave building immediately. Turn off gas at main valve if trained to do so. Call gas company at once.

•DO NOT REENTER BUILDING until declared safe by security or emergency officials.

•Do a thorough head count and lead children to safety.