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SENTINEL
Spring 2006
P r e v e n t i n g
Rural Water Safety Rural Utah and water go hand-in-hand. Much of rural Utah is made up of small farming and ranching communities, which are dependent on a good supply of water. As a desert state, winter run-off must be stored in lakes and reservoirs. The water gets to farms and ranches by way of an extensive system of canals, irrigation ditches, and holding ponds – bodies of water that are like magnets for children. Child drowning rates are three times higher in rural areas than in urban Utah. Rural drownings occur in nonpool settings like lakes, reservoirs, ponds, ditches, irrigation canals and even livestock watering troughs. Rural irrigation systems consist of a series of ditches that are fed from the canal system. The water isn’t very deep, but can move very fast. This swift water can cause young children to fall and be swept down the ditch
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inside... Dangers of Water (cont.) . . . . . . 2 Rural Water Safety (cont.) . . . . . 2 Farm Safety Quiz . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Right Helmet for Right Sport . . 3 Your Toxic Garage . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 SAFE KIDS Contacts . . . . . . . . 4
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A Word on Water from Dr. Tom The Dangers and Delights of Water ater is the essence of life. Our bodies are largely water and we need water to sustain life. But sometimes, water can take life.
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Drowning is one of the leading causes of death for kids in Utah. In 2003, five children age 14 and under died in drowning incidents. Another 74 children were seen in emergency rooms and 16 were hospitalized for neardrowning injuries. But by following a few basic safety rules, your children can play it safe around water – wherever it is. Inside the home, a bathtub of water can be a huge threat to very young children. Be sure to check the temperature with your hand before you put baby into the tub. To be safe, the water heater should be set no higher than 120 degrees. Never leave young children in the bathtub alone, or with an older brother or sister. Don’t walk away for any reason while a child is in water, and remember babies are slippery when wet – so handle with care when getting them out of the bath. Five-gallon buckets used for household chores are also a drowning hazard. Toddlers are curious and will often try to get inside. Most often, they topple in headfirst and can’t get back out. Never leave a bucket with liquid where a child can get to it. Outside, hot tubs and home pools pose a danger and parents must be very vigilant when children are near them. The American Red Cross recommends the following: • Teach your children to swim. • Never leave a child alone around water. Keep your eyes on the child at all times. • Keep a phone nearby in case you need to call 9-1-1. • Learn CPR and insist that others who care for your child know it, too. Continued on page 2
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A Word on Water from Dr. Tom Continued from page 1 be alcohol around? Drugs? Will someone decide to go cliff diving? Or water skiing without a life jacket? Think about all these things – this may not be the party or the right crowd for your teen. Know the group or keep your child at home. General safety tips for open bodies of water include: • When possible, swim in areas supervised by a lifeguard. • Wear a Personal Flotation Device (PFD). • Read and obey all rules and posted signs. • Stop swimming when you get too tired, too cold, too far from shore or too much sun. • Know the weather forecast and get out of the water at the first sign of a storm. • Never dive into water if you don’t know what’s under the surface. • Don’t drink when swimming, diving or boating.
• Post CPR instructions in the pool area. • Enclose the pool completely with a self-locking, self-closing fence with vertical bars. Openings in the fence should be no more than four inches wide. • Remove pool covers completely before getting into the water. • If a child is missing, check the pool first. Go to the edge of the pool and scan the entire pool, bottom, and surface, as well as the surrounding pool area. • Hot tubs are not for young children. A child’s body temperature control isn’t adequate to deal with the hot water of the typical hot tub. Ask yourself, is she old enough to enjoy it, or am I taking her in because I can’t find a babysitter? • Wading pools can be just as dangerous, so watch kids at all times.
Parenting is a tough job – one that requires a lot of time and effort. It’s easy to look away for a moment to grab an important call, answer the door for the pizza guy, or run to the kitchen for snacks. But, invariably, it is during those moments that children get into trouble in the water. Help your children to enjoy the water, and protect them as you teach them to use it wisely and well.
Most child drownings occur in private pools, but public pools can be dangerous, too. Even highly trained lifeguards can miss things. Check the lifeguard-to-swimmer ratio at your local pool: are there enough to watch all the children? Older children and teens are most at risk in lakes, rivers, creeks and canals (See accompanying article on rural water safety, front page.) The risk rises when teens are in groups, so find out all you can about the kids your children are hanging with. Should your son be going with this group of friends? Is he responsible? Will there
Rural Water Safety
—Tom Metcalf, MD To prevent drowning: • Never let children out of your sight when they are around water. • Get training in CPR and rescue breathing – they can mean the difference between life and death. • Be aware of high spring and summer run-off. Don’t camp or picnic near fast-moving water with children. If there is water, they will be in it.
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into culverts or areas where the bottom has washed out and is deeper. Some ditches are cement and they become very slick. In contrast, canals are much larger and deeper. The water moves slower, but can also carry undercurrents. In the summer months, youngsters are seen diving off roadway bridges and swimming in the canals. The bottom of the canals can be littered with glass, rocks, and debris that could injure them.
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Enjoying the fun of wading and swimming is a great way to cool down in the summer heat. Just make sure to do it safely.
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The Right Helmet for Each Sport
Farm Safety Quiz
Kids love being on wheels, zipping down hills on snowboards and
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griculture is an important and satisfying line of work for many Utah families. But it can also be dangerous – even deadly for adults and children. Farming has changed over the years, with more machinery to help with more work. Equipment is bigger, faster, and more powerful. There’s more to do, more to do it with, and less time to get the job done. Every year in the U.S., an average of 104 children die from injuries occurring on farms. It is estimated that 33,000 children under the age of 20 were injured on farms and ranches in the United States in 1998. Knowing the answers to this brief quiz about farm safety could save a child’s life. 1. Injuries occurring to children on farms are: a. Mostly work-related. b. Mostly non-work related. c. Mostly due to poor machinery maintenance. d. Always fairly minor. B. 56 percent of child farming injuries are non-work related. 2. You can help provide a safe environment by teaching children and youth to: a. Stay away from standing water, even in small amounts. b. Stay close to the ground, because climbing to high places can lead to falls. c. Keep work areas clean and organized. d. All of the above. D. All of the above. 3. True or False Farm machinery accounts for one-third of deaths on farms. True. Most are children between 5 and 9 years of age. 4. You can help keep yourself and family members safe around a Power Take-off Generator (PTO) by: a. Wearing close-fitting clothing; not wearing sweatshirts with drawstrings and baggy or torn clothes; tying back long hair. b. Starting and stopping the PTO only when you’re sitting in the tractor seat. c. Walking around the tractor and never stepping over the rotating PTO shaft. d. All of the above. D. All of the above. Also, be sure the PTO shields are in place and in good condition. True or False 5. Never drive a tractor, including a riding mower, with extra riders. True. Tractors are very large and very loud. Every year, children die in tractor incidents caused by having too many riders. Extra riders distract the operator, block access to controls and block the driver’s view. 6. To help keep children safe on the farm: a. Provide a safe play area that is more interesting than the farmyard. b. Supervise children and coach them in tasks appropriate for their age and ability. c. Make sure kids are fully trained in operating farm implements. Kids are eager to please and often don’t know when to ask a question. d. All of the above. D. All of the above. For more information on creating a safe play area and rural roadway safety, contact Farm Safety 4 Just Kids at 1-800-423-5437 or www.fs4jk.org. For more information specific to Utah contact the Utah Farm Bureau at 801-233-3006 or http://utfb.fb.org/
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riding over dunes on all-terrain vehicles (ATVs). What do all of these sports have in common? They can all be hazardous to your health if you don’t wear a helmet! And you can’t use just any helmet. To be effective, a helmet must meet safety standards and be worn correctly every time a child participates in these sports. ATVs ATV-related deaths and injuries have increased substantially as bigger and faster ATVs have been introduced into the market. Children under age 16 are four times more likely than ATV operators over 16 to suffer a serious injury. Safe Kids Utah recommends children under 16 NEVER ride or operate ATVs of any size, including youth-sized models.
For optimal safety, all riders should wear a helmet rated for motorized use, over-the-ankle boots, goggles, leather gloves, a long-sleeved shirt and long pants. SNOW SPORTS Utah emergency room data show that about 17 kids a year are treated for injuries suffered while skiing and boarding. And more than one in five (22%) ski and snowboard injuries are serious enough to cause loss of consciousness or a concussion. More than 50% of snow sport-related head injuries among children 14 and under could be prevented simply by wearing a helmet. EQUESTRIAN Head injuries account for most deaths and hospitalizations among horseback riders. Most deaths can be prevented and head injuries reduced by wearing a properly-fitted and buckled ASTMSEI-certified helmet. BIKE AND WHEELED SPORTS HELMETS One of the best things you can do to protect your child while riding on wheels is to require them to wear the right helmet. Do NOT negotiate. Each year in Utah, 450 children are rushed to the emergency room with bike crash injuries. When worn correctly, a bicycle helmet can reduce the risk of head and brain injury by as much as 88%. Skateboards, scooters and rollerblades need a different kind of head protection, called a “multi-sport helmet.” Children are more likely to fall backward when skateboarding or rollerblading, and multi-sport helmets offer better protection because they cover more of the back of the head than a bicycle helmet. No helmet can prevent all head injuries. Serious injuries can occur even at very low speeds. For maximum protection, the helmet must fit well and the strap must be buckled. And if your child is involved in a crash, replace the helmet if it gets damaged in any way.
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Is Your Garage a Toxic Dump?
To reduce poisoning risk in and around your home: •
Check Now for Pesticides That Could Endanger Your Family In 2005, the Utah Poison Control Center answered nearly 1,650 calls from Utahns worried about possible pesticide poisonings. Ninety percent of these calls involved children under age 19. That’s nearly as many calls as specialists received for animal, spider and insect bites.
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Pesticides are used by many families to keep vermin out of their homes, lawns and gardens. They include chemicals to control insects, weeds, bacteria, fungi, rodents, fish or any other troublesome life form. And while many parents store them safely away, too often, containers of the deadly chemicals are strewn about the garage or stashed away in unlocked cabinets.
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The American Association of Poison Control Centers reports an estimated 52,000 children less than six years old are involved in common pesticide exposures each year. In Utah, children ages birth through age five are at highest risk of injury or death from poisons. Often, parents don’t even know a child has gotten into a chemical until it’s too late.
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The symptoms of pesticide poisoning can include headache, dizziness, nausea, anxiety and restlessness. A more severe poisoning may include muscle twitching, coordination problems, sweating, weakness, tremor, vomiting, tearing, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, blurred vision and drooling. Convulsion and death may occur in the most severe cases.
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Use non-chemical methods to reduce or eliminate pest problems, such as removing sources of food and water (leaky pipes) and destroying pest shelters and breeding sites (litter and plant debris). Always read the product labels and follow directions, including precautions and restrictions. Wear gloves, long pants, long-sleeve shirts and protective eyewear when using chemicals. Pesticides can be absorbed through skin and inhaled, which can cause internal problems. Change clothes and wash hands immediately after applying pesticides. Don’t spray outdoors on windy or rainy days. Don’t let pesticides drift or run off into vegetable gardens and pools. Before applying a pesticide (indoors or outdoors), remove children, their toys, pets, and food. Keep them away until the pesticide has dried or as recommended on the label. Always store pesticides away from children’s reach, in a locked cabinet or garden shed. Purchase child safety latches at hardware or baby supply stores. Never transfer pesticides to other containers that children may associate with food or drink. Never place rodent or insect baits where small children can get to them. Teach children “Pesticides are Poisons.”
If you suspect a family member has been exposed to a poison, call the Poison Control Center at 1-800-222-1222. Have the product with you and remember that poisons act fast, and so should you.
COALITION CONTACTS
Box 142106, SLC, UT 84114-2106 (801) 538-6852
Safe Kids Utah
Spokesperson ©
Derek Parra Olympic Gold Medal Skater
Sharon Hines-Stringer (801) 538-6852 Janet B. Brooks (801) 588-3683
Honorary Chair
Local Safe Kids Coalitions
Bob Evans KSTU Fox 13 Anchor
Lead Organization Violence and Injury Prevention Program
Proud Partners Utah Department of Health Primary Children’s Medical Center State Farm Insurance Utah Student Nurses Association Utah State Office of Education Utah Safety Council Utah Department of Public Safety AAA Utah Utah Poison Control Center Utah PTA American Academy of Pediatrics, Utah Chapter Larry H. Miller Chevrolet Chevron KSTU Fox 13
Safe Kids Utah thanks Anchor Printing, Zellerbach Paper, the Utah Highway Safety Office, Utah Department of Health -Traumatic Brain Injury Surveillance Project, State Farm Insurance Company and Primary Children’s Medical Center for their generous contributions which allowed us to produce this newsletter.
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Safe Kids Bear River Safe Kids Salt Lake County Safe Kids Davis County
Farrin Wiese May Romo Teresa Smith
(435) 792-6522 (801) 313-6607 (801) 451-3586
Local Safe Kids Chapters Safe Kids Central Utah Safe Kids Wasatch County Safe Kids Tri-County Safe Kids Utah County Safe Kids Great Basin Safe Kids Summit County Safe Kids Tooele County Safe Kids Weber-Morgan Safe Kids Southeast Utah Safe Kids Washington County Safe Kids Iron County
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Terry Smith Amber Peterson Toni Bolton Bonnie Hargreaves Dean Shields Geri Essen Brenda Nelson Jann Fawcett Georgina Nowak Penny Cluff Kathleen Brinkerhoff
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(435) 896-5451 x. 41 (435) 657-3259 (435) 823-1501 (801) 851-7035 (435) 743-6530 (435) 615-3912 (435) 843-2338 (801) 399-7186 (435) 637-3671 (435) 986-2564 (435) 868-5810
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