The Hamad Injury and Accident Prevention Program of Hamad Medical Corporation advises 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, Assistant Director of the Hamad Injury Prevention Program at the Hamad Injury Center, called on all families, especially those with children, to be careful while they are at home and to create a safer environment for these children to avoid head injuries, wounds, burns and falls. And drowning, which is the most common household accident, stressing 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 and visual supervision, as unsupervised children are highly at risk of preventable domestic injuries, especially falls, poisoning, drowning, suffocation and burns. She calls for not leaving the child on a bed or 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 and inaccessible to children under 4 years of age, noting that children under one year of age need a good accompaniment. While bathing, drowning often occurs silently, and can go unnoticed within seconds, especially since a young child or infant may drown in less than 3 to 4 inches of water, so all containers filled with water should be covered and children should not be left unattended in swimming pools or around them.
She also warned the Assistant Director of the Hamad Injury Prevention Program at the Hamad Injury Center, in her statement to /QNA/, of the dangers of suffocation in children, as coins, buttons, small toys and car keys should not be left within the reach of children and kept in a closed cabinet raised above the ground to avoid the access of young children. To it, where the child may be exposed to suffocation in the car if the child hides inside it, as it should, in order to avoid accidents involving children, checking that small children do not hide or play around the car in the parking area, especially before reversing, as it is important to ensure this by walking completely around Vehicle, to visually check that there are no small children or pets present, before starting to operate the vehicle.
Dr. Aisha also called on housewives and those in charge of cooking to take preventive measures when being in the kitchen during the preparation of Iftar and Suhoor meals by following many precautions, including ensuring that there is continuous supervision of young children when the mother enters the kitchen to cook, and that their play areas are far away. away from the kitchen, free from tripping hazards, such as electrical wires, and create a safe area to prevent young children from entering the kitchen while cooking and ensure that they do not come close to cooking stoves or any hot oil or hot water and ensure that children are clear of the way when transferring hot liquids such as soup Unused electrical outlets should be covered with plastic sheets and any damaged electrical appliances or cords repaired or disposed of.
She emphasized the importance of preparing early for breakfast, not rushing, and taking enough time, as statistics show that speed and haste are the main cause of many burns, abrasions, and spilled food, which causes harm to yourself and those around you. You should also avoid wearing inappropriate clothes such as nylon or those with sleeves. Baggy near an open fire while cooking.
She also called for constant care to clean up spills immediately, as wet floors are slippery, while keeping the kitchen floor free of toys and other things, and not moving hot foodstuffs, especially liquids, except after making sure that the path is free from the risks of stumbling and small children, and keeping a cover on the floor. pot to avoid burns.
She also pointed out that when a fire breaks out in the cooking pan, it is necessary to avoid pouring water on it, as this may lead to the spread of the fire further, and therefore the burning pan must be covered with a thick cover, a wet towel or a fire blanket, and it must always be ensured that there is a smoke detector. In the kitchen, but not near the stove or fireplace, and always make sure that at least one fire extinguisher is charged, easily accessible and installed in the house, and check the smoke detector battery regularly.
In the event that a gas smell is detected in the house while cooking, Dr. Aisha Obaid, Assistant Director of the Hamad Injury Prevention Program at the Hamad Injury Center, said, at the conclusion of her statement to Qatar News Agency (QNA), that any lights or exhaust fans should be avoided because they may be ignition points. Possible flammable gas, and all doors and windows must be opened immediately to reduce the concentration of leaking gas, and to ensure that the valve on the gas cylinder is turned off, and not to resort to using a burning match near a gas cylinder to locate the leak.
