Home Child Safety 1: Swimming Pool Safety

How many times have you heard in the news bulletin that children and sometimes adult were found drown in the swimming pools at homes or recreational centres? The average of such occurrences should be relatively high individually...say 10 times in the last 5 years.

Swimming is a popular and fun summer activity for children to relax, play and cool off the heat. However, a swimming pool can turn deadly in an instant. Numerous child injuries are reported each year in conjunction with swimming pool accidents, resulting in broken bones, permanent brain damage, neck or spinal cord injuries and death. Statistics on swimming pool accidents show that young children are especially vulnerable to pool injuries.

Drowning is the primary result of swimming pool accidents. According to reports, 1,500 children drown each year in a pool accident in the United States. Toddlers and young male teenagers are most at risk for drowning in swimming pool accidents. Many parents may not realize the danger swimming pools represent, but according to MedScape.com statistics, drowning causes 30% of all deaths for children under the age of 4. Additionally, for all children under the age of 14, drowning is second only to car accidents as the leading cause of death.

In addition, the consumer product safety commission in the US has received reports of 200 children drowning in hot tubs, bathtubs and whirlpools. While you may expect that most children who die in drowning accidents are unsupervised, the exact opposite is true.

According to Safe Kids USA, 88% of children who die in swimming pool accidents were supervised at the time of the accident, either by a lifeguard, parent, sibling or family friend. Only 10% of child drowning victims were completely unsupervised. There are fewer statistics available for child injuries in swimming pool accidents, since many minor accidents go unreported. Hospital reports in the US (New York alone) estimates that 2,600 children are injured in near-drowning accidents each year, but that doesn't include the many other injuries suffered in diving accidents, slips and falls around pools, or pool drain accidents.

In our part of the world, you may be quick to say we do not have as many swimming pools as in the US and other western countries. As true as this may be, we have recorded several incidents of swimming pool incidents in homes, recreational facilities and in schools. Interestingly, this has often occurred in the above average homes and families. A good example was the news in 2009 of the death of the grandson of the prime minister of Zimbabwe as a result of drowning in the swimming pool in the residence of the PM. Of course, there are many others like that which are not reported.

There are safety tips that are able to eliminate drowning at the pool or at the least, reduce the number of cases to the bearest minimum. Some of these tips are itemised below:

• Never allow your youngster to swim alone without any adult supervision. It is quite common to develop a cramp underwater, or for accidents like hitting your head while diving for example, to occur. It is paramount that there should be persons around to help in such situations.
• Do not allow children with no knowledge of swimming in or around the pool. For good pool safety make sure that all kids above the age of 4 attend a certified swimming class, or at least learn basic flotation techniques and life saving techniques in case of accidents.
• Children younger than 4 should always be accompanied by their parents in the pool.
  Enclose your pool with high fences, which can be locked. Do not leave the pool open and accessible since children can fall inside. Keep your pool safe, and keep your kids away from the poolside.
• Avoid leaving your kids alone even with small portable pools or water bodies like buckets, fountains, and barrels. There is always a danger of drowning occuring even in small bodies of water.
• In case of a backyard swimming pool, make sure that the cover of the pool is completely lifted over the pool. Do not partially open the pool. Also make sure that your child does not walk over the pool cover.
• Spas and Hot Tubs must also be avoided, especially in the case of younger children who are susceptible to overheating.
• Make sure that there is always a life saving floation device handy near the pool. Also, every parent should be conversant in basic first aid (cardio pulmonary resuscitation-CPR & artificial respiration –AR) techniques in case of any accident.
• The last, but not the least, to ensure swimming pool safety, be observant. Watch what your kids are up to, and supervise their activities. Do not leave them alone at any time around any body of water.

Remember that they are the little ones, very vague and unaware and are very eager to explore all opportunities to have fun.

Home Child Safety

There is nothing more precious than a child. In many cultures and traditions, the birth of a child is regarded as the most tangible evidence of a marriage that is blessed and successful. The home is expected to be a safe haven, the place of safety and security for parents, visitors and also the children. This of course will not happen automatically except there is a concerted effort to achieve this goal. Most parents believe their homes are safe for their children but the accidents statistics that are received on daily basis world over suggest that most homes aren't as safe as they should be.

Along with the joys of parenthood comes a great deal of worries, not least how to keep our children safe. Whilst most parents worry about our children’s safety away from the homes, we often forget about the very real hazards inside our own homes. It may be impossible to eliminate every single hazard imaginable, but it is possible to eliminate as many hazards as possible and to be prepared for all eventualities. Always remember that ‘prevention is better than the cure’ and one of the most important aspects of ensuring children are safe is to supervise them as much as possible. Never leave children unattended!

Accidents happen in the home, even to the parents and adult alike. However, this potential for accident increases with a child in the house, whether a newborn or an adolescent, accidents can happen all too easily and sometimes with terrible consequences. The causes and consequences of home injuries vary considerably by age and developmental level, reflecting differences in the child's ability to learn and understand about what is around them. Their ability to move around their environment also changes what should be considered safe. The majority of poisonings and other unintentional injuries in the homes could have been prevented by following a few simple steps to make the child's surrounding safe for them at each level of development.

You may be surprise at what your kids are capable of doing and at sudden development in their activities such as rolling over, crawling and trying to climb up using an open drawer as the ladder. These may lead to unexpected accidents such as tipping hot liquids over themselves, making a shelf and its content fall, cutting themselves, choking, swallowing small parts, poisoning, falling from height and wandering outdoors or on to the streets alone.

Homes must therefore be made absolutely safe for children especially because of their novice tendencies. The act of ensuring that a home is safe for children is known as childproofing. Childproofing our homes is something that we have to carry out in great detail, especially when children are very young. Although we might all think we are responsible parents who would not let our baby or toddler get into any harm at home, there are many hidden hazards lurking which could injure a young child or baby or could result in something even more serious than that. Therefore, it’s important that you take practical steps to understand the potential dangers that are present around the house and to take preventative measures to keep your children safe. Therefore, to keep your children safe and secure, childproofing is must for every household with young kids and curious toddlers.

This article will therefore explore various childproofing strategies that will help to identify many hazards that could exist in homes and how to minimize the risks to the children and the family as a whole. This would be considered under different sections and aspects of the homes where these hazards are present and most of the times not obvious except by serious assessment and evaluation. Some of the areas to be considered in this article subsequently are:

• Swimming Pool
• Bathroom/Toilet
• Kitchen
• Bedroom
• Cribs/Cots
• Living rooms
• Curtains/Door & Window blinds
• Garden/Flower Pots
• Drugs/Medicines
• Chairs and Sofas
• Staircases
• Stores/Warehouse
• Electrical Equipment
• Tiles & Floors
• Outdoor environment

I will be giving some safety tips and suggestions within this scope in subsequent articles on Home Child Safety. Watch out for more details!

TYRE SAFETY (Part 1)

I will like to start this piece of writing by asking readers a very simple question... "When are your vehicle tyres expiring?" I can only imagine the neuronic activities going on in your mind now! I am very sure you that one of the surprising issue about this question is the fact that you don't know. Of course, I know you that you know and believe that vehicle tyres do expire. The very fact that tyres are organic and chemical products can only suggest my perceived assumptions. After all, other products similar in composition to tyres like plastics, petroleum bye products, drugs, food, etc do expire.
Going back to our initial question, there is no shame in not knowing this because as in most things in our part of the world, we are neither taught nor told and so we live perpetually in ignorance and wishes. As have been emphasized in many articles in this blog, safety is not all about wishes and prayers, but current knowledge and practice of what is safe and sensible.

Safety on the road depends on several factors, one of which is vehicle condition and tyres are very important integral part of a vehicle. It is that part that interfaces between the road and the vehicle and as such must be in good shape and other to perofm its duties. According to statistics available from Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), about 80% of automobile accidents in Nigeria are caused by burst tyres due to low quality and age. This is particularly due to the florishing tokunbo cars business in the country. As important as the tyres may be in road safety, it is very unfortunate to know that this is one part of vehicle that receives little or no attention at all. Part of this attention is the simple knowledge of the status of the tyre which includes manufacture date, expiration date, speed and load rating, construction, design type, etc.

For this first part of our discussion on tyre safety, we will look at just one aspect of these facotrs that control the safety of tyres in our vehicles.
Manufacture & Expiration Date of Tyres
As part of quality assurrance of vehicle's tyres, manufacturing dates are written on the sidewall of all original tyres. As a general rule, tyres will start serious level of deterioration after 4 years of manufacture. Depending on use and other factors therefore, expiration will commence from 4-6 years at the maximum after which the tyres must be destroyed or recycled for other uses. Please note that the date of expiration is not written on the tyres but as a user, it is your responsibility to use the date of manufacture as your guide to determining the year of expiration.

To read the manufacture dates on a tyre therefore, the following steps will be a useful guide:

1. Locate the DOT number on the sidewall of the tyre. It's easy to find since the first 3 digits are "DOT." They are displayed on both sides of the tyre.
2. After the DOT, look for a 10 to 12 digit number. The last four digits will sometimes be place be placed in an oval or circle and will only be numerical.
3. Determine the age of the tyres by reading the last four digits of the full DOT number from the sidewall of the tire.
4. The first two digits of the four digits date stamp will indicate the week of the year the tyre was manufactured. For example, on the tyre in this picture, “08” means 8th week of the year (this is of course the month of February)
5. The last two digits in the date stamp number will determine the year it was manufactured. For example, “06” on the same picture means 2006
6. For the above examples therefore, the last four digits of the full DOT number displayed on the sidewall of a tyre “0806” would dictate that the tyre was manufactured in the 8th week of the year 2006.

As a driver, passenger or general user of a vehicle, use this information to determine the age of tyres on your vehicle. Always request to see this number before purchasing any tyre. If these numbers are not on the tyre, then they have been probably removed to deceive buyers and users. It's not uncommon to be purchasing a year or maybe two year old tyres, but the newer the better and compare that to the price you're being charged for them. Tyres will expire even on the shelf no matter how new or beautiful looking it appears.

Please note however that the 4 digits tyre stamp started in the year of 2000. Tyres manufactured earlier than 2000 only have three digits in the tyre stamp and if that's all you have for a tyre stamp, don't worry about how to decode it...just replace the tyres for your own safety because such tyres are definitely over nine years old. However, for the sake of knowledge, a tyre ending in "239" could have been made in the 23rd week of 1989 or 1999. This will ultimately take you to that place (you know where I am referring to) earlier than planned.

Please take care and use tyres that are of good quality and up to date.

Coming soon: TYRE SAFETY (Part 2)

RISKY ADVENTURE

Heroism is a rarely used word in many societies and the actions that qualify one as a hero can vary and also may be very subjective. while in some cultures, taking a risk is an act of heroism, in some others, being brave and daring automatically qualifies one as a hero. Worst still, in some known regions of the world, the only symbol of heroism is death. Little wonder in such places, lives really do not matter a thing.

As a senior friend will always remark, "all heroes are dead and to be one, you must lay your life down..." Dear friends, in our part of the world, especially in Nigeria, death is a serious thing and until recently, suicide was a NO NO to us. Our heroism will have to come through other forms of activities and actions but not intentional death. However, in this same Nigeria, when you see some actions and activities being performed by people during play, work, or whatsoever, you have to argue very seriously with yourself and finally agree that this is a suicide mission perceived otherwise.

Now let's get thinking; how would you describe the actions of this man in this picture? Suicidal or heroic! Perhaps bravery and daring! Well, I will tell you without being sarcastic that this is a suicide attempt and in a society where lives matter, charges ought to be filed against such a person for attempting to kill himself. But can you imagine what the bystanders and perhaps, other family members will be saying about this person...your guess is as correct as mine!

You may however be thinking again now (as would be expected) that perhaps this is not real...a possible photoshop or computer manipulation. Well, I have news for you if this is your thought now.
There are many more risky and (very highly risky) actions that people carry out today all in the name of work. I have personally seen so many that i have stopped counting and I am sure, a good number of people have seen worst cases of unsafe acts and at-risk behaviours. Sometimes, you need to take a good look at your surrounding and see what people do described as work and you will agree with me that this picture here could actually be a child's play to what you will observe.

Work has never meant death or suicide in any dictionary and definitely it is not the same. We work to improve our lives and this objective can only be achieved when people work safely, giving room to be a ble to work another day. This man is probably working or trying to perform a task but you and I know this is not right...a work is only done well if it is done safely.

Let us take this message to our society and preach the good news of safety...if it not safe, don't do it because there is always a time to do right and safe.

Road Traffic Accident in Nigeria

The Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) is a government agency in Nigeria charged with the responsibilities of preventing accidents on Nigerian roads through awareness, training, legislation and enforcement. Recently, the agency published the statistics of recorded traffic accidents in Nigeria between the period of January and October, 2009 during the awareness campaigns to promote safe and defensive driving especially during the upcoming festive seasons.

A first look at the statistics did not strike any cord until i read between the lines and it dawn on me that these statistics are people...not just figures. Can you imagine loosing someone close to you? thousands of families in Nigeria have lost their loved ones in the last 10 months due to some actions and/or inactions on the roads which could have contributed to the accidents.


The statistics released from FRSC are shown in this piece...please consider this and remember, it can happen to anybody as long as it can be traced to same attitude on the road.

Lagos State Security Emergency Numbers

There is no denying the facts that Lagos state is setting the pace for other states in Nigeria to follow in several ways. If you have been out of Lagos state in the last two years, then you will definitely be overtly surprised by the new face of Lagos. These changes are particularly worthy of note considering the facts that many of us have lost faith in the Nigerian states and since we cannot do anything immediate about the situations, we just withdraw into our cocoons and hope that one day, things will look different…what an irony!

Part of these obvious changes is the improvement in security awareness and control in the states. A drive round town especially in the night says the story of how we all will desire the whole of Nigeria looks like. The lighting system is unbelievable...even with the epileptic supply of power from our national power grids. This you will agree with me is an important security control system as the hoodlums and other night urchins no longer have places to hide in dark alleys, under bridges, motor parks, and the likes.

In addition to this, the Lagos state emergency management parastatal in partnership with the Nigerian Police recently published some numbers for prompt responses to security issues and emergencies in Lagos state. This is laudable because in many countries of the world today, the mobile telephones have become an important tool in emergency management and after eight years of mobile telephony revolution in Nigeria, it is not too early to start enjoying same benefits.

I gave these numbers to a couple of friends recently to save in their mobile phones but as expected, some doubted the reality and workability of these services. I understand the reason for their doubts...anybody who have been in Nigeria for a while will probably be as pessimistic about such services as they were. However, it appears it is the done of a new era in Lagos and loosing out of such benefits just because we can't believe it is not good for anyone... remember that the only permanent thing in life itself is change.

My advice therefore, as stated in the attached picture, is to have it handy and ready to use whenever the need arises. The survival of yourself, family, colleagues, and others may just depend on it. You loose nothing having them saved on your phones but may loose too much if you don't have them at all. Like I always say, the choice is yours but making the right choice is not just common sense but knowledge through accurate information.

Road Safety: Over-speeding

If you are visiting Lagos metropolis for the first time on a sunday afternoon, you will probably make the same remarks someone made to me sometimes ago when I asked of his impression of the city. He was particularly impressed about the smooth movements of vehicles on the road as against what he previously heard about traffic situations in the state. He was quick to point out however that he suspected motorists were not obeying the speed limits regulation as he saw private and commercial vehicles cruising at high speed. He felt the rate of accident would be high if nothing was done about the speed. Of course, as you would expect, I was quick to tell him that there is a highway code in Nigeria that stipulates allowable speed for different categories of vehicle as well as locations; of which the acceptable maximum is not more than 100Km/Hr in most cases.

You may be quick to ask why this preamble. Well, yesterday (Sunday November 1, 2009) at about 3.00PM in the afternoon, coming from the Victoria Island through the 3rd mainland bridge, I observed a rather strange long vehicle traffic and I heard a whisper in my ears...'an accident has just occurred.' This can only be the reason for this long queue i concluded...& I was not wrong at all... a few minutes later, what I saw is the picture in this article. What a sight! I am sure there is a question on your lips right now...as I had on mine as I adjusted on my seat to see what has become of a commercial vehicle popularly called danfo in Lagos. How on earth did this bus climb up this height over one metre of concrete mass on a bright sunny afternoon? Only two answers readily come to mind: a crane must have lifted it up the concrete beam or it climbed it. The latter seemed very unlikely for me to accept but alas! that was exactly what happened. The bus climbed the beam as a result of impact from excessive speed.

This is one of the many types of accidents that have been witnessed on this bridge...vehicles somersaulting, plunging into the lagoon, to mention but a few.

Over-speeding accounts for a large percentage of causes of accidents on our roads and the consequences are obvious. The advice is simple...over-speeding kills...so kill your speed and stay alive. The choice is yours and not the vehicles.'