Safety in the Home and First Aid The following will be covered in this chapter: 1. Common Accidents in the Home, Causes, Prevention and Management 2. Assembling a First Aid Kit A child falling off a bicycle insert picture A First Aid box insert picture The home is a safe haven for security and comfort. In order to maintain safety, it is important to take necessary precautions in the home. By the end of the lesson, you should be able to: Identify common accidents in the home and their causes. Explain how to prevent common accidents in the home. The common accidents in the home are: Cuts and bruises Burns and scalds Fractures and sprains Suffocation Choking Shock Foreign bodies in the eyes and nose Fainting Nose bleeding Drowning Insect stings and bites Snake bites Poisoning Cuts and Bruises A cut is a slit or break on the skin caused by sharp objects such as razor blades, broken glass and knives while bruises are caused by blunt blows. Prevention Store sharp objects safely. Use and care for knives appropriately. Dispose off empty tins, broken bottles and other sharp objects e.g. by burying. Keep doors of cupboards, wardrobes and drawers closed. Household items should be kept in their appropriate places. Management Cuts Clean the wound with clean water or a weak antiseptic solution. Cover with sterile gauze or a pad of cotton wool and bandage. For a deep cut, press onto the wound with a pad of cotton wool and bandage. Raise the wounded part if it is a limb to reduce pain. Seek medical attention. Bruises Cool the bruised part with very cold water or dab with a cloth soaked in cold water. Raise the injured part if a limb to cut down amount of blood flowing into it so as to reduce the swelling. Burns and scalds Burns are caused by dry heat such as hot charcoal, metal and open flames while scalds are caused by moist heat such as stream and hot liquids. Prevention of burns and scalds Matches, boiling stoves, hot liquids, burning candles should be kept away from children. Store flammable liquids away from children. Lids covering hot foods should be opened away from the handle while cooking. Saucepablows direct or indirect force on bones falls A sprain is a tearing or stretching of ligaments. It is caused by a stretching of a joint beyond the normal level of motion. Rooms should be tidy and well lit. Floors should be free from spills and peels. Arrest any bleeding that may occur. Use a splint to hold the fracture in place. Apply a sling. Choking Choking is when one is not able to breathe. Choking is caused by food or foreign objects such as seeds, bones and coins stuck in the throat or air passage making breathing difficult. Encourage the casualty to cough Give back slaps Obstruction Avoid putting foreign objects in the mouth. Children should not play while eating. If casualty is breathing, encourage him/her to cough as this will help to dislodge the obstruction. For babies, hold upside down by the legs and pat gently on the upper part of the back until the object pops out. For older children and adults, hit the person sharply with the palm of the hand between the shoulder blades until the object pops out. You can also stand behind the casualty, link your hand below their naval, press the belly with strong jerks until the object pops out. Suffocation Suffocation occurs when there is inadequate supply of fresh air or when the wind pipe is blocked, hence preventing air from getting into the lungs. A child wearing a polythene bag over his/her head Dispose off polythene bags appropriately. Cooking stoves should be used in well ventilated rooms. Replace worn out gas tubes. Identity the cause and act appropriately. If it’s the lack of fresh air, take the person outside to an airy place. If it is due to a polythene bag getting stuck in the head, remove it. Check the airways are open and the casualty is breathing. If breathing has stopped, start artificial respiration. Take casualty to hospital for further assessment and management. Shock Shock is a temporary lack of supply of blood to the brain and other vital organs. It is caused by upsetting or good news and events such as electric shock, excessive injury, and illness. Causes Severe bleeding, either internal or external. Loss of plasma in burns or crash injuries. Heart failure as in acute heart attacks. Loss of body fluid from recurrent vomiting or severe diarrhoea. Acute abdominal emergencies, example perforation of stomach or ruptured appendix. All electric wires should be well insulated and defective equipment repaired and replaced. Do not touch electric switches and appliances with wet hands. Prepare one for bad news Lay the casualty down and deal with the injury or underlying cause of the shock. Raise and support legs to improve the blood supply to the vital organs. Loosen tight clothing at chest, neck, waist to reduce constriction in these areas. Protect when necessary with a blanket or sheet. Do not give casualty anything to drink. Take him to hospital as soon as possible. Foreign bodies in the ears, eyes and nose A foreign body is anything undesirable that enters into the body such as dust, insects and seeds (common with children). A child putting a bean in the nose and then breathing it out.People should protect their eyes when walking or working in an area where there are dust particles in the air e.g. by wearing protective gear. Keep small items such as seeds and beads away from children. Foreign body in the eye Advise the casualty not to rub the eye. Let the casualty sit facing the light, separate the eyelids gently with clean fingers and thumb. If foreign object can be seen, wash it out with clean water. If it is stuck on, remove with a moist swab or damp corner of clean cloth.
