KEEPING NEBRASKANS SAFE

We all like to think of our homes as being a safe haven for our families but, sadly, our homes aren’t always as safe as we would like to think. According to statistics sent to me by the Home Safety Council, the home is the second most common location of unintentional fatal injuries in the United States. Motor vehicles traveling on the road come in first in that category.

The home is the site of approximately 20 percent of all deaths caused by injuries.

The Unforgiving Five
The top five leading causes of unintentional home injury death are falls, poisoning, fire/burn, choking/suffocation, and drowning. Together, the unforgiving five account for 90 percent of all unintentional home injury deaths.

Most of the home injury deaths happen to the very young and to older people. An average of 2,096 children younger than 15 die each year from an injury suffered at home. Children under the age of one have the highest death rate, 12 per 100,000. Falls account for most of the deaths. With older people, each year an average of more than 7,000 adults age 65 and older die from unintentional home injuries.

You can find a little good news sifting through the statistics, although it is of little comfort to someone who’s suffering from a sprained ankle or other painful injury. The majority of unintentional home injuries do not result in death. For every home injury death there are about 650 non fatal injuries.

June is Home Safety Month
Each of us can do simple things to reduce the risk of having an accident at home. For instance, to reduce the risk of suffocation or choking in a young child:

Place infants on their backs in cribs and make sure the sheet and mattress fit tightly to avoid entrapment and
Keep anything that is small enough to fit through a toilet paper tube such as coins, marbles, grapes, etc. away from children as they present a choking hazard.
Do not let children under the age of 6 eat small, round or hard foods, such as hot dogs, grapes or popcorn. If you do, cut them into very small pieces.
The Home Safety Council recommends against the use of latex balloons in homes with your children. If the balloon breaks and a child swallows a small piece, it could be very dangerous.
tube.
Never hang pictures, quilts or decorations containing ribbon or string on or over a crib.
Window blind cords can present a serious strangulation hazard. Move cribs and playpens away from windows. Tie up window cords out of a child’s reach.
Pull out drawstrings in children’s clothes. Make sure your child takes off any necklaces, purses, bicycle helmets and scarves before they play or go to sleep.

Host of Helpful Hints
During June, Home Safety Month, I encourage my fellow Nebraskans to look for ways to make your home safer and protect your family. The Home Safety Council offers many helpful ideas at their website, www.homesafetycouncil.org.

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	Column	June 3, 2008
KEEPING NEBRASKANS SAFE We all like to think of our homes as being a safe haven for our families but, sadly, our homes aren’t always as safe as we would like to think. According to statistics sent to me by the Home Safety Council, the home is the second most common location of unintentional fatal injuries in the United States. Motor vehicles traveling on the road come in first in that category. The home is the site of approximately 20 percent of all deaths caused by injuries. The Unforgiving Five The top five leading causes of unintentional home injury death are falls, poisoning, fire/burn, choking/suffocation, and drowning. Together, the unforgiving five account for 90 percent of all unintentional home injury deaths. Most of the home injury deaths happen to the very young and to older people. An average of 2,096 children younger than 15 die each year from an injury suffered at home. Children under the age of one have the highest death rate, 12 per 100,000. Falls account for most of the deaths. With older people, each year an average of more than 7,000 adults age 65 and older die from unintentional home injuries. You can find a little good news sifting through the statistics, although it is of little comfort to someone who’s suffering from a sprained ankle or other painful injury. The majority of unintentional home injuries do not result in death. For every home injury death there are about 650 non fatal injuries. June is Home Safety Month Each of us can do simple things to reduce the risk of having an accident at home. For instance, to reduce the risk of suffocation or choking in a young child: Place infants on their backs in cribs and make sure the sheet and mattress fit tightly to avoid entrapment and Keep anything that is small enough to fit through a toilet paper tube such as coins, marbles, grapes, etc. away from children as they present a choking hazard. Do not let children under the age of 6 eat small, round or hard foods, such as hot dogs, grapes or popcorn. If you do, cut them into very small pieces. The Home Safety Council recommends against the use of latex balloons in homes with your children. If the balloon breaks and a child swallows a small piece, it could be very dangerous. tube. Never hang pictures, quilts or decorations containing ribbon or string on or over a crib. Window blind cords can present a serious strangulation hazard. Move cribs and playpens away from windows. Tie up window cords out of a child’s reach. Pull out drawstrings in children’s clothes. Make sure your child takes off any necklaces, purses, bicycle helmets and scarves before they play or go to sleep. Host of Helpful Hints During June, Home Safety Month, I encourage my fellow Nebraskans to look for ways to make your home safer and protect your family. The Home Safety Council offers many helpful ideas at their website, www.homesafetycouncil.org. ###