MEANING OF ACCIDENT

MEANING OF ACCIDENT:

Accident is an unfortunate incident that happens unexpectedly and unintentionally, typically resulting in damage or injury. An accident can also be defined as an unplanned event that sometimes has convenient or undesirable consequences, other times being inconsequential. 

CAUSES OF ACCIDENTS AT SCHOOL

·         Bullying and assaults. Both bullying and fighting are common at school, and a school cannot be held responsible for every conflict. However, a school can be found negligent if it failed to properly supervise students at the time of the incident, knew that the aggressor was a trouble maker and took no action or knew that a fight or other dangerous situation was likely.

·         Slip and fall accidents. Water and debris in bathrooms, slippery floors from cleaning, book bags and other items strewn on classroom floors and food and drink spills in the cafeteria are a few of the causes of slip and fall accidents at schools. Children can suffer broken bones, spinal injuries, traumatic brain injury, and other serious injuries if they injure themselves in a fall.

·         School bus accidents. Negligent bus drivers can cause a tragic bus accident that can result in injuries to students in the bus or when they are pedestrians. Driver negligence, lack of training by the school district or bus maintenance issues are some of the causes of school bus accidents. Many school buses do not have seat belts, which can make the injuries that children suffer even worse. In addition, accidents can happen when children are horsing around on the bus without proper supervision from bus driver staff.

·         Playground accidents. Playground equipment gets a lot of wear and tear due to daily use and the weather. When it is not maintained and replaced when necessary or has a design or manufacturing defect, children can suffer devastating injuries in a fall or other accident while playing. In addition, many accidents are caused by the failure to properly supervise children who do not have the capacity to understand the dangers of the playground or the risks of certain behaviors.

·         Food poisoning. When cafeteria workers do not properly prepare and store food or an outside vendor provides tainted food, children can become seriously ill from food poisoning when they eat breakfast, lunch or other food provided by the school.

·         Sports activities. Some sports, particularly football, include inherent risks of injury, and students who voluntarily engage in the activity may not be able to sue the school for their injuries. However, when equipment is defective, basic safety measures are not followed or the school staff doesn’t provide proper supervision, an injured student may have a claim for compensation against the school.

CAUSES OF ACCIDENTS AT HOME

·         Falls

Ladders, step stools, stairs, shower stalls and chairs are just some of ways people fall in their home. Irregularities like uneven flooring, poorly installed doors and door jams, and loose hardwood or tile can also contribute to unintentional fall-related accidents.

·         Burns

Household fires claim more than 3,000 lives annually. Home fires can be the product of cooking, electrical outlet burn-out, short-circuiting, washer and dryer overheating, poorly maintained water heaters or furnaces or through other household mishaps.

·         Water

Drowning is the fifth-most leading cause of household deaths each year, accounting for nearly 800 fatalities annually. Children and the elderly are particularly vulnerable to water-related household accidents and should be closely monitored around any standing water.

·         Falling objects 

When children start to move around on their own, there is an increased danger of them pulling objects down on top of themselves. 

·         Bruises

     Even a fall that isn't serious can lead to nasty bruising which can be quite painful. 

·         Sprains 

A sprain is when a ligament, which connects parts of a joint, is stretched, twisted or torn. Knees, ankles and wrists are the most common parts of the body affected.

PREVENTION OF ACCIDENTS AT SCHOOL

(i) The school campus should be fenced properly to avoid various types of incidents which occur by playing in the nearby roads.

(ii) The children should be advised not to climb the compound wall of tree nearby as they may fall and their limbs or other parts of the body may be fractured or injured.

(iv) Children are very fond of pins, chalks and pencils. Sometimes they put them in their ears, mouths and nostrils and cause severe injury to them. They also swallow the pin unconsciously and put to great trouble. The small pencils or sticks may remain in their nostrils and ears such type of incidents can be avoided by the proper care of the teachers at the time of play most of the students are injured by fowl playing. So the P.E.T. should impress upon the students to follow the rules and regulations of different games correctly. It is seen that sometimes the children quarrel with each other for petty things and throw stones and bricks to each other which leads to major injury to the different parts of the body. So the students- should be taught not to quarrel with each other and the bad affects of it.

PREVENTION OF ACCIDENTS AT HOME

FALL

Prevention:

• Keep floors free of toys and obstructions.
• Exercise close supervision when toddler learns to walk.
• Never leave babies unattended on raised surfaces.
• Check constantly floor surface for wear and tear.
• Keep floor dry.

CHOKING

Prevention:

• Choose toys appropriate to the age of children. Avoid toys with detachable small parts.
• Ensure small objects are kept out of reach of children.
• Pull cords on curtains and blinds should be kept short and out of reach of children.
• Strings and plastic bags should be kept out of reach of children.

BURN/SCALD

Prevention:

• For adults, never hold a hot drink/food and a child at the same time.
• Ensure milk, congee or other foodstuff is at a reasonable temperature before feeding.
• Ensure proper fence or door is installed at the entrance of kitchen. Such must be closed at all times. Instruct children not to go into kitchen.
• While cooking, pay extra attention to the stove fire and the cooking utensil. Turn the pan handle away from the front, and close to the wall.

POISONING

Prevention:

• Keep medicines and chemicals out of sight and reach of children, preferably in an isolated, locked cabinet.
• Always store chemicals in their original containers with appropriate labels.
• Never tell children drugs are “sweets” as this may give a wrong idea to children.

WHAT TO DO WHEN ACCIDENTS OCCUR

1. Don’t panic. Call for help if necessary.
2. Check the level of consciousness of the infant/child.
3. Examine the child if airway is clear (e.g. can talk, cry or not); if breathing is adequate and circulation is normal (observe colour of the face, depth and rate of breathing).
4. If breathing and circulation are normal, check for any other injuries on the body.
5. If bleeding occurs, ensure there is no foreign body in the wound. Apply direct pressure to stop bleeding by covering clean gauze on it and add pressure on the gauze by your hand. Elevate the injured limb.

6.    If deformity is seen on the injured part, do not move it and call for help immediately.

HOW TO TAKE CARE OF AN ACCIDENT VICTIM

1.    Check for danger

2.    Ask the victim about assistance

3.    Avoid moving the victim

4.    Check the airway

5.    Administer aid - as necessary

6.    Treat shock

7.    Comfort the victim

8.    Turn over care to emergency personnel