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The commonest kinds of fatal accidents in the home are falls, burns
and scalds, suffocation, and coal gas poisoning. Most of the falls and
over half the burns and scalds are sustained by persons over 65 years of
age. Suffocation and one in five of the burns and scalds happen to children
under five. Apart from fatalities, however, a great deal of illness, both
physical and mental, much of it preventable, results from burns and scalds
in childhood and from falls in old age. How can this be avoided?
Reference has been made to the personal element in the prevention of
home accidents, but it must be recognised there is also the question of
our own man-made environment. Gas, electricity, television and wireless
sets all bring their own hazards into the home, but just as important is
the basic design of the house itself. The mother of young children living
in overcrowded or cramped conditions, where the kitchen is also the living
room, will find it particularly difficult to safeguard her children especially
when she is preparing meals or doing any washing. The old person
will be much more liable to fall in older properties where he or she has
to negotiate stairs and perhaps cross an uneven yard to reach the toilet.
The improvement of housing conditions is therefore a fundamental prerequisite
for home safety. The incidence of home accidents is reduced in
homes which are well lighted, have modern and safe appliances,even floors
and have suitable guards and handrails to protect children and the aged
and infirm. Such homes are, unfortunately, not as yet universally available
and meantime the prevention of home accidents, which calls for great
care in modern properties, is a formidable task in older houses. It is,
however, a task well worth undertaking and suitable measures will, even
in adverse circumstances, prevent a large number of home accidents.
The prevention of falls entails making sure that no objects such as
dustpan and brush are left on ill-lighted staircases; that there is not
a loop of flex running across the living room, nor a loose mat on a slippery
floor. In the prevention of burns and scalds, both for old people
and children, an efficient fireguard securely fixed is essential. Particular
attention must be paid to movable sources of heat and light such
as gas rings and oil lamps both as regards their stability and where they
are placed in the room. The design of clothing is as important as the
material from which it is made in the causation of burns, the loose frilly
garment being particularly dangerous. Particular care must be taken with
teapots and kettles containing hot fluids to ensure that their contents
cannot be pulled down or fall on an unsuspecting child. Coas gas poisoning
is a less common but tragic accident when it happens. Gas cookers
used by old people are often old and inefficient. These can be checked
by the Gas Board and if necessary a safety type of appliance can be installed.
Another form of poisoning, this time mainly in children, can be
avoided by ensuring that all medicines, particularly tablets and pills
which resemble sweets, as well as disinfectant, are carefully locked away