Dangers kids face at home

72% OF PEOPLE WHO VISITED DUBAI MUNICIPALITY HOME SAFETY CAMPAIGN BOOTHS WERE UNAWARE OF THE DANGERS TO THEIR KIDS

24 domestic accidents, including falls from a height and burns, were recorded last year

When it comes to child safety at home, many families in the UAE are still not aware of how they can make a home childproof, authorities say.

Every year there are reports of accidents and injuries involving children, including fatalities resulting from falling from high-rise buildings.

Last November, Dubai Municipality’s Public Health and Safety Department launched a campaign titled ‘Is Your Home Safe’ to tell parents about the importance of a safe home.

Last year, the department recorded 24 domestic accidents which included falls from a height, drowning in swimming pools, burns, and injuries from falling objects and gardening machinery. Burns, poisoning, suffocation and choking, and strangulation with various objects including blind cords, are deemed common domestic accidents.

Risk factors

The truth is, there are a staggering number of things that can come in the way of children’s safety in a home. Childproofing a home is a big responsibility and parents need to be keenly aware of its various dimensions and solutions.

Campaigns such as that by Dubai Municipality have a big role to play in keeping parents informed about their responsibility.

Redha Hassan Salman, director of the Public Health and Safety Department, told Gulf

News that officials gauged that there was still a lack of home safety measures by parents, children and maids.

“It’s extremely important that you know what to do if there are children, especially below three years of age, at home and how you can help your children and your family stay safe,” said Salman.

Best practices

To ensure best practices of home safety, he said, the campaign was rolled out in a unique way. A massive booth shaped like a house with cut-out models providing information was used to spread awareness about safety risks.

As gauged by officials earlier, 72 per cent of people who visited the booth admitted that they were not aware of many of the dangers lurking in their homes.

Salman said that the main objectives of the campaign have been formulated on the statistics and studies related to domestic accidents.

“The data of these incidents available in the department indicates an increase in domestic accidents in recent times due to lack of awareness about home safety,” he said.

The safety awareness programmes took place at the headquarters and branches of Dubai Municipality and at City Walk in the first phase of the campaign, said Dr Maryam Mahmoud Bin Eisa, head of the awareness team at the Dubai Municipality Health and Safety Department.

“The home-shaped booth talks about itself. Its design helped us in effectively conveying the safety risks at home and their preventive measures with real examples. People could easily connect with the situations in their homes,” said Dr Maryam.

The home-shaped booth had a selfevident message. Its design helped us in effectively conveying the safety risks at homes and the preventive measures to be taken ...” Dr Maryam Mahmoud Bin Eisa