Kidsafe Victoria e-news August 2014

Welcome to the August edition of Kidsafe’s e-news.

Welcome to the August edition of Kidsafe’s e-news! This month you’ll find information about our No Helmet No Ride Competition, winter home safety, the National Playsafe Design Awards, snow and ski safety, our button battery campaign launch and some recent product recalls.

No Helmet No Ride

The No Helmet No Ride Competition is now open! Primary school students can either make a radio ad, a video or an illustrated story about the importance of wearing a helmet. It is a chance for primary school students to get creative while learning about helmet safety and maybe win some great prizes for themselves and their school. For more information on the competition and how to enter, visit http://www.kidsafevic.com.au/nohelmetnoride

Winter Home Safety

Winter is well and truly underway, which means many families will be spending more time indoors and increasingly using household items such as heaters and hot water. Is your home safe from any winter injury hazards?

The home environment is the most common location for childhood injury to occur, so with children spending more time indoors, it is important to do a winter home safety tune up.

A big part of winter safety is ensuring that your heater has been serviced and is working properly. All heaters should be serviced by a professional at least every two years (or more if recommended by the manufacturer). This is to protect your family from potentially fatal carbon monoxide poisoning.

Another winter hazard that needs to be addressed is the setting for your water delivery system, which should be at a maximum of 50 degrees. At 50 degrees, water takes five minutes to cause serious injury, but at 60 degrees, water can cause a life threatening scald to an infant in just one second.

Other safety measures include making sure all poisons, including medications are stored out of reach of children and securing curtain and blind cords at least 1.5 metres off the ground. For more tips on what to look for when conducting your home winter safety tune up, check out our fact sheet http://dev.kidsafevic.com.au/wp-content/uploads/attachments/Winter_Tune-up.pdf

National Playspace Design Awards

Entries are now open for the 2014 National Playspace Design Awards, which allows applicants to demonstrate excellence and innovation in the creation of safe, creative playspaces.

The Awards aim to promote inspirational and innovative best practice play facilities and encourage healthy participation in recreational activities for all children.

Entries will be judged on aspects such as their commitment to safe play environments, inclusive play space design principles and natural, historical and cultural aspects.

Entries close at 5pm on Friday 29 August 2014, and the winners will be chosen by a multi-disciplinary panel of judges. For more information on competition categories, criteria, or how to enter, visit http://www.kidsafensw.org/playground-safety/2014-kidsafe-national-playspace-design-awards/

Snow and Ski Safety

Heading to the snow during winter can be a fun and exciting experience, however the snow can also present a number of new safety hazards, especially for young children.

With the snow being an unfamiliar environment for many families, it is important to take certain steps to prevent common snow related injuries to children, such as falls and collisions.

Some of Kidsafe Victoria’s snow safety tips are:

• Ensure children are adequately dressed for cold and wet weather
• Remember to protect children’s skin and eyes- there is still a risk of sunburn, even on cold, overcast days
• Have children learn the basics in a class led by a qualified instructor. Most snow schools will have specialised classes for children
• Match your child’s level of experience to the activity they are going to undertake
• Never carry your baby in a sling or carrier if you are skiing or snowboarding
• Ensure your child is wearing appropriate and correctly fitted safety gear, including a snow sport helmet
• Ensure children are supervised by an adult at all times
• Have a name tag in a visible place (with ski lodge or home address) to help ski patrol locate you should one of your children be lost or injured

For more information on how to keep your kids safe in the snow, view our snow and ski safety fact sheet: http://dev.kidsafevic.com.au/wp-content/uploads/attachments/Snow_Ski_safety.pdf

Button Battery Safety Launch

Button batteries are a little known danger to children, with an estimated four children per week being presented to an emergency department with a button battery related injury.

As part of the International Awareness Week on Button Battery Safety, Kidsafe Victoria launched a campaign to highlight that when ingested, these lolly-sized batteries can cause long term and potentially fatal damage to a child.

Button batteries can be found in many household items such as remote controls and reading lights. Parents are urged to keep these button battery devices out of sight and reach of small children and dispose of old button batteries immediately.

If you suspect a child has swallowed a button battery, go the emergency department immediately.

For more information on button batteries and which household items contain them, visit http://www.kidsafevic.com.au/home-safety/button-batteries

Product Recalls