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32
Tbe
PLAIN TRUTH
April-.May, 1970
present a fi lm at thc 1ibrary free of cost. Or, if you prefer
thc comforts of home, a wide varicty of films are also avail–
able for home use. Many librarics have anywhere from a
couple of hundred to severa] thousand Jilms
m
stock or avail–
able
to
thc: public on
a
regular check-out basis.
By visiting the visual services departmcnt you can carry
homc a short
1
O
minutes' or ao cvening's worth of entcrtain–
ment replete wíth sound and color. You can choose from
travel, naturc, sports, music, wcsterns, social affairs, interna–
tional relations or children's short stories.
Thc onl}' cost to you is approximately
25
cents for
insurance.
1f
you don't own a projector, casy-to-opcrate motion pic–
ture projcctors can be rcnted from most camera shops for $5
to
10
pcr day.
e
Home Accidents
Ironically, millions of parcnts spend millions of dollars
annuaJiy to safeguard their childrcn's hcalth - yet most
parents are obJivious
lO
the fact that
PREVENTABLE ACCIDENTS
are the greatest thrcat to their children's physical well-bcing.
Thc
U.
S. Childrcn's Bureau Lists the following break–
clown on children's accidents:
Suffocation and choking are thc most
f
requently reported
causes of accidental deaths of childrcn under
1
year of agc.
In the
1-4
age group, fire and drowning are high-ranking
causes of death. Poisoning is also a frequent cause of dcath
in this group.
In thc age 5-9 group, drownings, fire and cxplosioos are
high on the list.
For those over
9
years of agc, firearms are responsiblc
for the biggest number of accidental deaths in the home.
In short, among childrcn from
1-14
years of age, accidcnts
claim more Jives than the
srx
Jeading diseases combined!
Forty perccnt of the dcaths of children aged
1-4
are due to
home
accidents! And if you havc a child under
15
ycars of
age, thc chances are about
one
in
three
that he will
be
involvcd
in an accident this year!
What can you do to prevc:nt it?
Thc number-on<: safeguard to preventi ng accidents is
a combination
o[
two things: first, personal motivation,
diligence, and a
orsJRE
to keep your home and family
Mfe
and healthy. It will take a little hard work, constant vigilancc
and supervision on your part.
Sc..'Cond, safety
edi/C(J/ion
- both for yourself and the
rest of your fami ly - is of paramount importance! Education,
so that safety becomes a vital, integral part of your lífc, is
vitally necessary. This kind of cducation starts
in the home,
and should progrcss in schools, and into adult life. You are
never too old to be safety conscious and concerned about
LIVING!
To keep
YOUR
home safe and as accidcnt-free as pos–
sible, you need to always "play it safe.'' This mcans appraising
every fcature of your home and cvery new machine for its
unsafe c¡ualities, its hazards.
lt
means a
periodical impertion
of your home to uncovcr any unsafc featurc or gadget.
For cxample, did you know that a four-cycle engine
turning a 20-inch bladc on a rotary lawnmower can
hurl a pebblc at a specd of up to
170
miles per hour - the
spced of a shell fragmcnt? Obviously, therefore, you should
choose a lawnmower with care, handle it properly, and observe
all safety precautions.
Of course, it may not
be
possible to eliminate every
single hazard - or to avoid every single accident. But you
necd to givc it a try. Most accidents
CAN
be avoided! And
thosc few which do occur, in many cases, can still be kept to a
mínimum, and their sevcrity can
be
lessened dramaticaUy.
Here are a few tips on organizing your home for acci–
dcnt prevention.
KITCHEN
1.
Keep thc baby off thc kitchen floor when you are
working in the kitchen.
2. Keep high chairs at lcast
2
feet from working counters.
3. Kecp all dctergents, insecticides and other household
chemicals out of reach.
4. Children's glasses and cups should be made of unbreak–
able matcrials. Rcmember cuts are the number-one
nonfatal accident.
5. Turn pot handles away from thc front of the stove when
cooking or boi ling liquids.
BATHROOM
l.
Make sure medicines are always put away out of chil–
dren's reach. Tt is a good idea to have a safety latch on
the medicine cabinet.
2.
Remove clectrical devices from near the bathtub.
3. Don't ever leave your baby alonc in the tub.
4. Put nonskid strips on Aoor of shower and bathtub.
BASEMENT OR ATTIC
1.
Workshop tools should
be
locked up or out of reach.
2. Don't leave oily rags or litter around.
3. Store painting supplics, kerosene and any toxic sub–
stances in a locked cabinet.
GENERAL
l.
Be diligent to keep pins, tacks, ncedlcs, matches, scissors,
cte. out of reach of prcschoolers.
2.
Never !cave your chdd alone in the house, even for
a moment.
3. Statistics show that approximatcly 75% of "accident
children" were hungry or tired. Most accidents occurred
less than an hour bcfore the child's mealtime. So,
be
doubly careful during the 4-7 p.m. hours whcn every–
one is tired and hungry.
4. Be sure there are gates on
all
stai rs.
5. All furn•ture should
be
heavy enough so that it can't
be
tipped over easily.
6. Check to see that radiators, hot water pipes, stoves and
furnaces are safely guarded from toddlers.
7. All elcctrical cords should
be
out of reach, and plug-ins
taped or pluggcd with special devices available from
hardware and variety stores.
o