Safety Tips: What You Should Know In Case of An Emergency
Ms Ellen Suppiah
Registered Nurse
ALS
Conducts private First Aid classes (contact: [email protected]
You never know when accidents happen. Being prepared allows you to remain calm and take charge of a situation.
How can I be prepared?
a) Have an action plan
Be organised before an emergency occurs. It’s easier to think without having to deal with the pressure of an emergency. Decide on which hospital you will use (choose hospitals closer to you for emergencies.)
b) Getting there
Can you or a neighbour drive? Do you ring for the ambulance or will you take a taxi? Make sure that all adults in your home are aware of what they should do – have it written down to avoid confusion. Write down emergency telephone numbers such as 999, or the phone number of the local hospital ambulance. Keep at hand contact numbers of family or friends who can help you.
c) Attend a First Aid course
Gain theoretical and practical knowledge on how to assess situations and know when to seek urgent medical assistance. Learning some simple procedures can be helpful.
d) First Aid kit
Keep a well equipped First Aid kit in your home and car, or when travelling. Know how to use the items and ensure that the kit, while easily accessible to adults, is kept out of children’s reach.
e) Safe environment
Aim to keep a safe environment in your home. Cover electrical sockets, move small objects to higher levels once your child is old enough to move about, use stair gates to keep children away from less child-friendly areas, and keep hot drinks, cleaning products and other chemical solutions out of reach and don’t fill them in to old drink bottles. Don’t allow easy access to swimming pools, use age appropriate baby/child seats and fix them safely in the car …..the list can be endless!
f) Point of view
Try crawling around the floor and see the world from their point of view. It’s surprising what you can learn!
What do I do if the baby/child isn’t breathing/doesn’t have a pulse?
a) Call for help if there are others in the house.
b) Check whether you can rouse them or not. If you can, and they can breathe for themselves, go to the hospital immediately for a check-up. Otherwise, lie them on the ground, check for – and remove – objects blocking their airway. If there is no blockage to the airway, then commence cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
c) Get to the hospital, or have medical help come to you as quickly as possible.
What do I do if the child is choking?
a) There are different techniques to treat choking, depending on age.
b) Keep calm as the situation will worsen if the child is scared or hysterical.
c) Lie the child on his tummy across your arm, lap or a chair; support his jaw and point his head downwards, whilst you give up to five firm slaps on his back between the shoulder blades, to help dislodge the obstruction.
d) If that doesn’t work, turn the child on his back, keep his head down and administer five chest thrusts if your child is below one year old, or five abdominal thrusts if he is above one year old.
e) Keep repeating the procedure until the object is dislodged or the child becomes unresponsive.
f) If unresponsive, commence CPR.
How do I stop bleeding?
a) Check for bones protruding from, or objects prodding in to the wound. If not, apply pressure over the wound using gauze pads, any clean non-fluffy material or your hand if nothing else is available. While applying pressure on the wound, raise affected parts above the heart level for one minute, to help reduce bloodflow. Remove the padding, and if there is no more bleeding, clean and cover the wound accordingly.
b) If the bleeding doesn’t stop, apply more pressure and padding, raise the affected area again and review the wound after one minute. If the bleeding continues when pressure is relieved after the third repetition, keep the padding in place and bandage the hand like a boxer’s glove. Elevate the hand on the opposite shoulder and go to hospital.
c) In cases of a bone protruding from, or objects stuck in the wound, apply padding and pressure around the wound to avoid further damage. Elevate the wounded area and head straight to hopsital.
How do I treat burns?
a) There are different treatments, depending on the severity of the burn.
b) Always place the burn under running water or in a bowl of water for 10 – 15 minutes. Cooling down the burn in this manner helps reduce the pain.
c) If it is a mild burn, gently pat the area dry, cover if necessary and treat the pain by ingesting paracetamol according to the correct dosage.
d) Never burst blisters around a burn; the fluid will disappear after a few days.
e) Seek medical help if the burn is too severe to treat at home.
f) Use cling film to loosely cover and protect the burn whilst travelling to the hospital.
What if my child is poisoned?
There are many items in the house or garden which are poisonous such as cleaning fluids, medicines, chemicals and even some plants. Keep these objects far from children’s reach (remember, children can climb!).
a) Get immediate medical help; use the phone if possible. Tell the doctor what your child has ingested, as well as quantity and time of ingestion.
b) If the substance is caustic, avoid making the child vomit in case it causes internal throat burn. You may need to give milk to help dilute and dampen the potency of the poison.
How do I treat a broken bone?
Signs of broken bones often include extreme pain, swelling and limited or no range of movement, particularly after a hard fall.
a) Take your child to the hospital for an X-ray which will show the extent of the injury.
b) Always restrain the injured limb by strapping an arm to the body or both legs together. This avoids the limb from moving around, or causing more pain and possible damage.
