Author: Claire Riggs

October 2017
Issue 3

Keeping Children & Young People Safe in B&NES

Welcome to our 3rd edition!

As we move into Autumn and Winter, we want to highlight potential hazards facing
families, children and young people and provide you with some top tips you can share with
families.
We all have a responsibility for injury prevention, contributing towards the priority within the B&NES Children and Young People’s Plan (2014-17) that ‘Children and Young People are Safe.’
We hope you find this quarterly newsletter helpful in supporting your practice.

Bonfire Night
Over half of the injuries sustained around 5th November every year are those under the age of 15. The most common injuries are to the hands, wrists and eyes and most of these are caused by sparklers:
Please share these tips with families:
Don’t give sparklers to children under five years of age, as they may not understand the dangers
Always supervise children with sparklers and teach them to hold the
sparkler at arms length
Explain to them that sparklers get very hot and will burn their skin if not held correctly
Keep a container of water nearby, large enough and deep enough to put sparklers in after use

Attending a properly organised fireworks display is safer than having one at home. However the following advice can help to keep families that are planning on having a bonfire or firework display at home safe:
Build your bonfire well clear of buildings, garden sheds, fences and hedges
Never use flammable liquids to start a bonfire and never burn dangerous items such as aerosol cans, paint tins, foam furniture or batteries. This could produce toxic fumes and some containers may explode, causing injury.
Keep children away from the bonfire once it’s lit
Don't leave bonfires unattended. An adult should supervise it until it has burnt out. If it has to be left, damp it down with plenty of water.

In the news—Are sleep positioners safe for babies?
There are hundreds of baby sleep products on the market and parents assume that if something is for sale it is safe to use. These vary in names from baby nests or baby pods and many are advertised as a multi-functional products that can be used as a sleep surface, changing mat and tummy time mat. The soft, padded sides on these products cocoon babies and pose a suffocation risk.
The current advice is that the safest way for a baby to sleep is on a firm flat mattress, in a clear cot, crib or mosses basket, free of pillows, toys, bumpers and sleep positioners. Babies are at higher risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) if they have their heads covered and some items added to the cot may increase the risk.
The Lullaby trust has created a product checklist to help parents work out what they need to buy to sleep their baby safely.
Safer Sleep Product Checklist
The fact sheet and visual aid card below are also useful resources:
· Mattresses, Bedding and Cots
· Safer sleep for babies, visual card

Road Safety Week 20th—26th November
Brakes Road Safety Week is an opportunity to emphasise road safety at a time when evenings are getting darker and older children face their first autumn travelling to and from school independently.
The main focus of Road Safety Week 2017 is speed, which is a contributory factor in one in every four fatal road crashes. The message ‘Speed Down Save Lives’ calls for drivers to keep to 20mps in areas where people live and to stay within speed limits.
There are some great interactive resources for schools and anyone working with children and young people available to download in the Road Safety Week 2017 action pack via the website - www.roadsafetyweek.org.uk/members. Use the password speeddown to access the resources.

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Keeping Children & Young People Safe in B&NES

Autumn & Winter Top Safety Tips:
With the clocks changing, the darker mornings and evenings pose an
increased risk to children, young people and adults. At this time of year, we also see an increased usage of candles and indoor/outdoor lightening.
Follow our safety tips:
Always switch off lights and unplug them before you go to bed and ensure they carry the British Safety Standard sign.
Never place candles near materials that can catch light easily (such as cards, decorations and furniture) or leave burning candles unattended.
Test the batteries in your smoke alarm every week. Never remove them.
Keep candles, lighters and matches out of children’s reach.
Ensure candles are kept away from cards, decorations and furniture which could catch fire.
Take care around open fireplaces as clothes may catch fire and ensure use of fire guards and surrounds to protect children.
Never overload electrical sockets.
When buying fancy dress clothing check
labels for additional flammability testing and Keep children in fancy dress away from fire.
Be Bright Be Seen
During the autumn and winter months the cold weather starts to affect conditions on our roads. Here are some tips to help all road users stay safe:
Cyclists and Pedestrians;
Dress for the weather, layer up and stay warm. Visibility can be poor this time of day even on brighter days so dress ‘bright or light’ to be seen
Get your bike ready. Your bike may need a service to ensure your bike is ready for winter weather cycling. Call in to your local bike shop for a bicycle MOT
Light up! Good lights are essential and a legal requirement. Cyclists must have a white light in front and a red rear light lit at night supported by a red light reflector on the rear. Each pedal needs two amber reflector lights, one on the leading edge and the other on the trailing edge. Valve LED lights are always a good optional addition – You can never have too many lights on a bicycle!
Think about your route. In areas where ice lingers in shaded areas it may be easier to dismount and walk to the correct road
In severe weather conditions, (snow and ice) leave your bike at home.

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Keeping Children & Young People Safe in B&NES

Car Seat safety
You may remember back in July and August we ran two car seat safety clinics with ‘Child Seat Safety’, the in car safety professionals to offer advice and a child car seat fitting service to help correct commonplace mistakes. Of the 194 car seats checked, 47% were correctly fitted, 38% were incorrectly fitted, 10% had booster cushions and 5% of vehicles failed to have a child car seat.
Despite a positive increase and improvement on last year’s clinics, it is important to raise awareness that many children and babies are travelling in car seats that are incorrectly fitted. We encourage families to visit http://www.goodeggcarsafety.com/ to seek help and support and be confident the advice they are getting is correct and up to date.
For further information, regarding the correct fitting of in-car safety restraints, please visit

Please share the following Fire Safety advice with families:
Ensure you have a working smoke alarm in your house
Make sure you are familiar with the layout of your escape routes without using any lifts.
All housing tenants should seek advice from their landlord about what to do in the event of a fire or other emergency within their property or block of flats, as their advice may be different.
We encourage all residents to request a FREE Home Fire Safety Visit from Avon Fire and Rescue Service who will visit your home to provide advice relevant to your circumstances and fit free smoke alarms if required. Call 0117 926 2061 or Text ‘Visit’ to 07507 319 694 to book a visit. https://www.avonfire.gov.uk/our-services/home-fire-safety-visits

We hope you find this quarterly newsletter useful and if you require any further
information please do get in touch with us:
Jo Lewitt (Development & Commissioning Manager & Chair of B&NES Injury Prevention Partnership, Public Health) 01225 39 4063 Jo_Lewitt@bathnes.gov.uk
Claire Davies (Health Improvement Officer, Children and Young People, Public Health)
01225 39 4448 Claire_Davies@bathnes.gov.uk

August 2017

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