CMC RESOURCES GUIDE: CHILD SAFETY
Some
of the following
child safety
information was
compiled by the
Arlington
Family Connection
and is reproduced
here with
permission.
American Red
Cross
American Red Cross
Merrimack Valley
Chapter
First aid
courses, infant and
child CPR
978 372-6871
www.redcross.org/services/hss/courses/infchild.html
www.arcmv.org
Childhood
Injury Prevention
Program
Boston Public Health
Commission
Bike helmets, window
guards, car seats
617 534-5197
www.bphc.org/programs/program.asp?b=1&d=2&p=2
Childhood
Lead Poisoning
Prevention Program
Lead inspection,
screenings, lead
laws
800 532-9571
www.state.ma.us/dph/clppp
Children’s
Trust Fund
Newborn
visitation, focus on
prevention of child
abuse
888 775-4KIDS
617 727-8957
www.mctf.org
Foundation
for the Prevention
of Child Abuse
The National
Exchange Club
800 760-3413
www.preventchildabuse.com
Massachusetts
Dept of Public
Health
617 624-6000
www.state.ma.us/dph
Massachusetts
Poison Control
Center
800 222-1222
www.maripoisoncenter.com
National
Highway Traffic
Safety
Administration
Guidelines on car
seats
888 327-4236
www.nhtsa.gov
National
Paint and Coatings
Association
Lead paint
202 462-6272
www.paint.org/con_info/leadresources.cfm
National
Resource for Health
& Safety in
Child Care
Links to health
and safety
information
nrc.uchsc.edu
National
Safety Council
Massachusetts
Safety Council
(Serving Eastern
Massachusetts)
781 356-1633
www.nsc.org
www.masafetycouncil.org
Safe
Drinking Water
Hotline
800 426-4791
www.epa.gov/safewater
US
Fire Administration
A Parents' Guide to
Fire Safety for
Babies and Toddlers
www.usfaparents.gov
Juvenile
Products
Manufacturers
Association
Product safety tips
856 638-0420
www.jpma.org
Toy
Safety Hotline
800 851-9955
www.toy-tma.com/consumer/parents/safety/4toysafety.html
U.S.
Consumer Product
Safety Commission
Information about
recalls
800 638-2772
www.cspc.gov
Window
Safety Facts:
- 4,700
children are
injured by falls
from windows in
the United
States each
year. This
doesn't just
happen in
cities, where
buildings are
taller.
- Even
falling from a
first-floor
window can kill
a child.
- In
some cases,
children have
broken through
the glass and
fallen out of
windows.
- Many
window sills are
less than 24
inches off the
floor; the
average 1 year
old is 30 inches
tall.
- Falls
from windows
occur in the
child's own home
in 96% of the
cases.
- If
a fall occurs;
the landing
surface greatly
affects the
severity of the
injury
sustained.
Shrubs and grass
under a window
can be a good
source of
protection.
- 72%
of falls from
windows are from
the second or
third story.
What
you can do:
- Open
windows from the
top rather than
the bottom.
- If
you do open
windows from the
bottom, open
them only 4
inches or less.
Remember that
window screens
may give a false
sense of
security, and
are not meant to
protect a child
from a fall.
- Never
place furniture
that a child
could climb on
in front of an
unguarded
window.
- When
installing
window air
conditioning
units, be sure
they are
installed
securely and
properly.
- Teach
your children
not to play near
open, unguarded
windows, not to
lean against
window screens,
and not to lean
out of windows -
ever.
- Consider
planting shrubs
or grass under
windows to
cushion
potential falls.
The landing
surface can
greatly affect
the degree of
injury sustained
from a fall.
- If
you install
window guards,
make sure they
are made of
strong metal,
installed
correctly, and
be sure that the
window frame you
are screwing
into is not
rotted or loose.
The guards
should be easy
for adults to
open in case of
fire.
- Teach
your children an
escape route in
case of
fire...and
practice with
them.
Web
sites for more
information:
www.windowguard.org/
www.nsc.org/library/facts/windows.htm
Playground
Safety Web Sites:
Handbook
for Public
Playground Safety
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/325.pdf
Checklist
for Playground
Safety
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/327.html
Bicycle
Helmet Safety
Institute: How and
Why to Wear a Helmet
http://www.helmets.org/plain.htm
How
to Fit a Helmet
http://www.helmets.org/fit.htm
Correct
Way to Wear a Helmet
http://www.cpsc.gov/kids/kidsafety/correct.html
Teaching
Children about Bike
Safety
http://www.helmets.org/kidteach.htm
Child
Transportation
Safety Tips, from
the National Highway
Transportation
Safety
Administration
http://www.nhtsa.gov/people/injury/childps/tips/TST.pdf
Bicycle
Information Center:
Teaching
Preschoolers About
Bike Safety
http://www.bicyclinginfo.org/ee/ed_preschool.htm
Coloring
pages to print out
and color
http://www.helmets.org/images/colorpag.gif
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