Child Injury Facts

• Accidental injury is the leading cause of death for U.S.

children from one to 14 years old. In  2002, 5,305  children
died from accidental injuries.
• The leading causes of death from accidental injury were
motor vehicle occupant injury, airway
obstruction, drowning, pedestrian injury and burns. 
• In 2002, injuries to children ages 14 and under resulted in
233,000 hospitalizations, more than 2.3 million visits to
hospital outpatient departments and 17 million visits to
physician's offices.
• Injuries are the second leading cause of hospitalization
and the leading cause of emergency room visits among
children under 14. 
• The annual cost of child injury deaths in United States is
an estimated $34.5 billion (U.S. Dollars).
 Child Injury Facts

• Accidental injury is the number one killer

of America’s children, taking more lives
than disease, violence and suicide.
• Prevention is the cure. It’s estimated that
by taking these and other simple
precautions, almost all (90 percent) of
these accidental injuries can be avoided
Poison Prevention Tips to
Keep Our Children Safe
• Children under the age of six are at
the greatest risk for unintentional
poisoning. They are curious by
nature and investigate their world
by putting most things in their
mouths. They will eat or drink
anything regardless of how it
tastes. Children like the attractive
packaging, good smells and are
drawn to the colorful substances of
many of the products found around
the home.
• Use safety locks on all cabinets. Store potential poisons out
of reach of small children.

• Store all poisonous household and chemical products out of

sight of children.
If you are using a product and need to answer the telephone
or doorbell, take the child with you. Most poisonings occur
when the product is in use.

• Store all products in their original containers. DO NOT use

food containers such as milk jugs or soda bottles to store
household and chemical products.
Store food and household and chemical products in separate
areas. Mistaken identity could cause a serious poisoning.
Many poisonous products look-a-like and come in containers
very similar to drinks or food. An example of this is apple
juice and pine cleaner.

• Return household and chemical products to safe storage

immediately after use.
Use extra caution during mealtimes or when the family
routine is disrupted. Many poisonings take place at this time.

• Pesticides can be absorbed through the skin and can be

extremely toxic. Keep children away from areas that have
recently been sprayed. Store these products in a safe place
where children cannot reach them.
Discard old or outdated household and chemical products.
Take time to teach children about poisonous substances.
Medicine Safety
• Keep medicines out of sight, locked up and out of
reach of children.

• Make sure that all medicines are in child-resistant

containers and labeled properly. Remember child
resistant does not mean child proof.

• Never leave pills on the counter or in a plastic bags.

Always store medicines in their original container
with a child-resistant cap.

• Keep purses and diaper bags out of reach of

children.
Avoid taking medicines in front of children. Young
children often imitate "grown-ups."

• DON'T call medicine candy. Medicines and candy

look-a-like and children cannot tell the difference.

• Vitamins are medicine. Vitamins with iron can be

especially poisonous. Keep them locked up and out
of reach of children.
Be aware of medicines that visitors may bring into
your home. Children are curious and may investigate
visitor's purses.
• Keep the telephone number of your local Poison
Control Center on or near your telephone.
 Bicycle Danger

• The day you buy your child his first “big kid’s” bike. The
day you remove the training wheels and watch him pedal
away on his own. The day he heads to his friend’s house
without asking you for a ride. These are milestones in
both of your lives. So much more than a toy, a bicycle
represents independence for your children. 
– Unfortunately, bicycles are more than a toy in another sense,
too: they are associated with more childhood injuries than any
consumer product except the automobile. Annually appx. 250
children ages 14 and under died in bicycle-related crashes and
appx. 250,000 are treated in hospital emergency rooms for
bicycle-related injuries.
– Helmets reduce risk of head injury by 85%.
 Getting Your Child to Wear a
Helmet
• 1. Establish the helmet habit early when your children get their first bikes. If they
learn to wear helmets whenever they ride it will become a habit for a lifetime. If
possible, start them off with helmets while they are still on tricycles to establish
the link between wheeled vehicles, pavement and helmets. It's never too late,
however, to get your children into helmets.
• 2. Wear one yourself. Provide a role model for your kids; they learn best by
observing you. Whenever your ride your bike put on your helmet. Show them
that you hold yourself and your brains in high esteem.
• 3. Encourage their friends to wear helmets. Peer pressure can be used in a
positive way if several families in the neighborhood start making helmet use a
regular habit at the same time. If no other kid in your neighborhood uses a
helmet, your job will be a lot harder.
• 4. Talk to them about why you want them to protect their heads. Let them know:
– Their bikes are not toys, but their first vehicles;
– You love them and value them and their intelligence.
– They can hurt their heads permanently or even die from a head injury
– Point out when watching sports events how many professional athletes use
helmets. Football and hockey players, baseball batters and race car drivers
wear them.
 Buying a Helmet: The Two
Minute Summary
• You always need a helmet wherever you ride. You can expect to crash in your next 4,500
miles of riding, or maybe much sooner than that!
• Even a low-speed fall on a bicycle path can scramble your brains.
• Laws in 21 states and over 145 localities require helmets.
• Make sure your helmet fits to get all the protection you are paying for. A good fit means
level on your head, touching all around, comfortably snug but not tight. The helmet should
not move more than about an inch in any direction, and must not pull off no matter how
hard you try.
• Standards are no longer a big issue in the US market, but check inside for a certification
sticker.
• Pick white or a bright color for visibility to be sure that motorists and other cyclists can
see you.
• Common sense tells you to avoid a helmet with snag points sticking out, a squared-off
shell, inadequate vents, excessive vents, an extreme "aero" shape, dark colors, thin
straps, complicated adjustments or a rigid visor that could snag in a fall.
 Don’t Forget the Gloves,
Elbow Pads and Knee Pads
 Children and Electrical
Outlets
• Every parent of young children has at some point worried about
their child's safety around electrical outlets in the home. The outlets
are usually installed at a height at or near a child's eye level, and a
child's curiosity draws them to explore.

• Household Wiring18%Large Appliances17%Small Appliances16%

Electrocutions from electrical outlets are included in the Household
Wiring statistics
– 86 percent of the reported injuries involved children 1- to 4-years-
old
– The highest frequency of home electrical injuries occurred at
mealtimes
– The most commonly used foreign objects inserted into outlets
were keys and hairpins
Electrical Outlet Protection
Better Than
Nothing: Most kids
2-4 years old can
remove easily
Better: The cover swivels or
slides over the outlet holes.
Some are intended as
replacement face covers;
others install over existing
outlet face covers.
These shutters are
designed to remain closed
until a plug is inserted.
When something is
inserted into both vertical
outlet holes at the same
time, the interior plastic
shutters open. Its safety is
premised on the fact that
most young children will
not try to stick two objects
into the two vertical outlet
holes at the same time.
 Stairs: Accidents Waiting to
Happen
• Staircases have provided both adults and children with bumps,
bruises, broken bones and other injuries. Keep stairs clear of
clutter that may pose a tripping hazard while carrying your baby.
• Safety gates at the top and bottom of the stairs should be securely
mounted to the wall and have a locking handle that can be operated
with one hand. Never use a pressure gate on stairs.
• Banister posts should be no more than four inches apart. Larger
openings permit children to slip through or become lodged. You
might even consider installing Plexiglass panels on stair balconies,
both interior and exterior.
• Do not place furniture near a balcony. A child could climb on the
furniture and fall over the balcony.
 Doors

• All exterior doors or any door that leads to

an unsafe area should have locks that are
out of reach of small ones. They are very
curious by nature and once they figure out
how to open it they are off:

Tri-Fold
Door Lock

Locking Door
Chain
 Blinds: Protecting Children from
Strangulation on Blind Cords
• The Window Covering Safety Council has the following suggestions
for making these products safer for young children:
•
Eliminate loops on two-corded mini blinds
• Cut the cord above the end tassel (It may resemble a small wooden
or plastic "thimble").
• Remove the equalizer buckle.
• Add new tassels for the two cords that have been created. Slip a
tassel onto each cord and tie knots to hold them in place.
• Note: The Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) urges to
not tie the cords together after cutting them. This will only create a
new loop in which a child can become entangled.
• Never place a crib or child's bed near a window.
• Never put a chair, sofa, bench, or bookcase near a window with a
dangling cord. Children climb on furniture, play with cords or chains,
and can become entangled.
• Secure the loose ends to cleat-type anchors out of children’s reach.
 Scary Pool Stats
• 77% of all drowning victims are missing
less than 5 minutes
• 33% of accidents occur in homes of
friends or relatives where the child is a
guest.
• 65 % of accidents occur in the pool owned
by the child’s family.
• Each year more than 300 children under 5
drown in residential swimming pools.
 Pool and Water Safety
• Drowning has become the # 1 cause of death among children under the age of
14, and near drowning can result in brain damage to a child.
• Install a fence around the pool. The fence should completely surround the pool,
be at least four feet tall, and have self-latching, self-closing gates.
• Never leave a child unobserved in a pool. Adult supervision is essential and a
caregiver's eyes must be on the child at all times.
• If a child is missing, always look in the pool or hot tub first. Seconds count in
preventing death or disability.
• If you choose to enroll a child under age 4 in a water safety course or learn-to-
swim program, know that this is primarily a way for you and your child to have
fun together in the water. The American Academy of Pediatrics does NOT
recommend swimming lessons for kids under age 4 because they are
developmentally not ready yet. It will not make your child "drown-proof", but
will teach important behaviors about water safety such as not pushing, running,
diving in shallow water, or swimming alone.
• If you're using a chain link fence, ensure the openings are 1 x 1-inch so children
cannot use the openings to climb up and get access to the pool.
• Consider using a gated alarm and/or closed circuit camera to monitor entry into
the pool area.