A home is meant to be a place where people find peace and security (Hockenberry, 2012). However, careless handling of certain household equipment can pose a great risk to children. Home safety is vital especially when young children are involved. Careless mistakes can easily compromise their safety. This essay seeks to discuss some of the safety measures that one can take to avoid risks that can occur through the items listed in the safety-check list.
Fire, Electricity, and Burns
At my friend’s house, electric outlets are not properly covered with plastics to reduce the risk of electric shock. In addition, there are table clothes hanging in the reach of children and one can easily not that the apartment is not fitted with smoke detectors (Safekids, 2014 para. 1). I found a pot cooking pot placed at the edge of the table and it had some hot water in it. It was very close to a Child’s reach. I took interest in checking the fire extinguisher and to my surprise, it was broken and empty but he did not know it. When I asked him about a fire exit in the house, he showed it to be a back door that was blocked by a number of boxes and old junk. He did not have any emergency-call response agency’s number.
Suffocation and aspiration
One of her kid’s toys was broken and it had hanging wires that could easily cause a cut on the kid. On his bathroom floor, there was a slippery layer of soap substance that could easily cause the kid to fall down. to make it even more risky, the bathroom doors were not locked. Besides, neither he nor his wife has training on the basic home safety measure and life support skills.
Poisoning
Food poisoning occurs mostly to small children. Although my friend keeps a high level of hygiene in the kitchen, he does not have any access to a food poisoning control center.
Falls
My friend’s kid is at risk of falling especially in the bathroom and while using the staircases (Safekids, 2014 para. 9). The support grills on his staircases are very loose and the bathroom floor is made of very slippery tiles.
Body injury
His set of furniture is extremely old and the nails are protruding causing a risk of bodily injury to the kid. And also he had the birdbaths so low that a child can reach them.
Reflection section
My friend has a major problem especially as far as the safety of his child is concerned. The safety breaches that are imminent in that house are uncountable. My experience while at his house was not very pleasant. I was very disturbed by the dangers I saw the kid being exposed to. One instance is when I was trying to get up off the couch and my pair of trousers was torn by protruding nail on the sofa. I imagined how the nail would have hurt the child if he was crawling toward that direction. I immediately grabbed a hummer from the store and nailed it back in. this is not the only incident that happened while I was there.
At some point, a cooking pot that was placed on the edge of a table fell off the table to the ground spilling hot water on the ground but luckily I had grabbed the child in good time. Incidentally, my friend had just finished ironing his shirt before I came in and the iron box was still plugged-in. I learned a lot from my experience at my friend’s house with regard to taking precautions for a child safety.
References
Safekids: Home Safety. (2014). Web.
Hockenberry, M., J. (2012). Wong’s Essentials of Pediatric Nursing. Buellton, CA: Mosby