The Hamad Injury Prevention Program of Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) advised all residents of the State of Qatar to follow safety guidelines at home during the holy month of Ramadan, to reduce domestic accidents and injuries, especially during family gatherings.
In a statement to Qatar News Agency (QNA), Dr. Aisha Obaid, who is the Assistant Director of the Hamad Injury Prevention Program at the Hamad Trauma Center, called on all families, especially those with children, to be careful while at home, and to create a safer environment for these children to avoid head injuries, wounds, burns and falls, or drowning, noting that this was the most common household accident. She stressed the need to follow up and monitor young children continuously, and ensure their safety to prevent unnecessary injuries that may arise due to being busy with them at home.
She stressed the importance of taking several steps to reduce the risks of domestic injuries, the most important of which is checking risk factors in the home, and assigning an adult to provide continuous supervision, as unsupervised children are highly at risk of preventable domestic injuries, especially falls, poisoning, drowning, suffocation and burns. She stressed the importance of not leaving children on a bed or a table unaccompanied to avoid falling, and for keeping stairways and corridors free of clutter that could lead to a child or the elderly falling, and it must also ensure that all windows are closed and the child cannot open them, with safety gates installed to prevent access the young child to an outside staircase or balcony.
Dr. Aisha stressed the need to keep toxic household items and chemicals such as detergents, sterilizers, medicines and cleaning products in locked cabinets raised off the ground, inaccessible to children under 4 years of age.
She in her statement to QNA of the dangers of suffocation for children, noting that small items like coins and the like should not be left within the reach of unattended children, in order to avoid any accidents. There is also the danger for children to suffocate inside a car if they hide inside it, so she advised that parents check their cars to ensure their children aren’t hiding in them.
She also called on taking the preventive measures in the kitchen during the preparation of Iftar and Suhoor. These measures include the constant supervision of the children during that time and preventing the children from entering the kitchen.
She highlighted the importance early preparation of Iftar, as statistics show that rushing is the main cause with injuries related to burns, abrasions, and spilled food, among other injuries. She also stressed the importance of avoiding the use of water when a fire catches a cooker in the kitchen, as it could lead to the fire spreading more.
As for potential gas leaks in the house while cooking, she said that all lights must be turned out, and that all doors and windows should be opened to lower the concentration of the leaked gas and to shut the gas off from the source. (QNA)
Source: Qatar News Agency