Watch out for summer’s dangers

Press, 7 January 1983, Page 7

Watch out for summer’s dangers

"Hey Mum. Hey Dad. Let's go down to the beach." The kids are already into their costumes and toting the usual gear. Before you know it. there’s a surf-board on the roof rack, a couple of airbeds in the boot and enough bits and pieces on the back seat to make moving house seem like a holidav.

But holidays is what's its all about. So you head for your favourite bit of sun. sea and sand — and hope that you haven't forgotten that all-important something.

Unfortunately, many families do for getthings such as a well-equipped first aid kit. learning how to use it and generally boning up on ways of preventing or dealing' with the kind of accidents which can mar the family outing. Statistics show that summer is the worst time of year for accidents. Over the last five years, hundreds of children and adults have drowned between October and March. Each summer many undergo extensive skin grafting after barbecue flare-ups. and dozens more suffer less serious burns. Cuts from shells and broken glass, bad sprains and fractured bones put thousands more through doctors' surgeries and hospital casualty departments. They range from infants to age beneficiaries, and no-one is immune.

The vast majority of summer accidents are linked with leisure activities, possibly becasue it is then that people are most relaxed and more likely to be caught off guard. According to the Accident Compensation Commission, many of them are caused by carelessness or ignorance.

In fact mounting concern over the number of holiday accidents has prompted a “play it safe" plea from both the commission and the Plunket Society. The two organisations believe that safety education starts at home. For adults, that means teaching basic safety rules to the children — and then practising what they preach. Water safety

Apart from the road, water takes the biggest holiday death toll and is indirectly responsible for a number of injuries such as abrasions, cuts and broken limbs — especially in heavy surf.

Toddlers in particular

need constant supervision near water because they can drown just as easily in a puddle as in the sea. Teach your children to swim from the earliest possible age — but don't let them become over-confident. Air beds and bouyancy aids can encourage children, and even some adults to go too far. Start by choosing a safe beach and making sure that you and your family obey warning signs. Avoid jumbled surf, dirty areas of water offshore (these indicate deep holes), and smooth patches of water, which signify rips. Get to know your own limitions in the water and swim with the crowd. Learn safety techniques, including rescue breathing, from one of the leaflets available from either the Accident Compensation Commission, your district health office or the National Water Safety Council.

If you do have to administer rescue breathing, get the patient to a doctor as soon as possible — even though he may insist that he has fully recovered. Water may. have entered the lungs, which can cause death as much as four or five hours later. Following a flare-up in Christchurch in which nine people were badly burned, increasing attention has been focused on barbecues as a cause of summer accidents. Hospital figures show that without exception, all the serious burns requiring plastic surgery were due to careless use of liquid accelerants such as methylated spirits and turpentine. According to Dr David Geddis, medical director of the Plunket Society, the potential danger of liquid accelerants makes it safer to use solid fire-starters. These are non-volatile, safer to carry and cannot explode or cause flare-ups. For safe barbecuing, place

two fire-starters in the tray and build a pyramid of medium-to-large sized pieces of charcoal on top. Light the fire-starters and wait until the coals are glowing before spreading them out. Pick a sheltered area for the barbecue (not near the tent), and keep people and pets clear. Otherwise they may either knock it over, or be burned brushing against it. If liquid accelerants are used, keep them well awa.v from the fire and never pour them on to hot coals. In case of an accident, don't panic, smother the flames and don’t try to remove any burnt clothing. The best treatment is to immerse the burns in cold water, or apply plenty of cold water around them. Don’t use oils or ointments. Give the patient a nonalcoholic liquid to drink, and call for medical attention as soon as possible. Remember that barbecue

time, when parents are busy cooking, often means that less attention is being paid to other members of the family. So keep an eye on the children as well as the steaks. First aid

Minor cuts, sprains and bruises are difficult to prevent and happen to even the most careful holidaymakers. But a knowledge of’first aid is useful to protect against infection, and to ensure that the healing process begins as soon as possible. All families should carry a first aid kit in their car containing: Adhesive dressing; gauze bandages: crepe bandages (for sprains); triangular bandage (arm sling): cotton wool; methylated spirits; scissors; safety pins; needle; suntan lotion: insect repellant, travel sickness tablets and a few soluble aspirin tablets. Cuts, wounds

As a general rule, bleeding does the best job of cleaning out cuts. But dirty cuts should be washed with clean water and then dressed to keep further dirt out.

The ones to watch are puncture wounds — like those caused by treading on a nail. These wounds invariably have to be encouraged to bleed to wash them out.

Apart from being suscepitble to septic infection, they are also ideal breeding grounds for the tetanus germ, which thrives without oxygen. If your family has not been immunised against tetanus, have it- done as soon as possible.

If the wound is more serious and bleeding badly, do not use a tourniquet — use pressure.

While a pad is being prepared, place your hand firmly over the wound and draw’ its edges together. Then bandage the pad gently but firmly into place. Anything embedded in the wound should be left there until the doctor can attend to it.

If the bleeding continues, apply another pad on top. Do not remove the first pad.

fbSprains If a joint is wrenched or a muscle sprained, try to get some ice around it. Ice from the chilly bin will do — or even a packet of frozen vegetables. Then dress the area with crepe bandage, applied over a thick layer of cotton woo).

Ice-packs are also good treatment for bumps and bruises, or as additional first

aid for broken ankles or wrists. As well as easing the pain, they help to control the swelling.

Fish hooks Every fisherman hooks himself sooner or later, and sometimes it takes a minor operation to remove the hook, especially if it is deeply embedded. But if the point is sticking out of the wound, the best way to remove the hook is try to snip off the eye, take hold of the barb and then pull it straight through. Trying to pull it out by the shank will almost certainly make the wound worse.

Like puncture wounds, fish-hook wounds should be encouraged to bleed, to avoid the risk of infection from fragments of bait.

Stings Wasps are a problem on many beaches, especially around litter bins. Stings are best treated by applying vinegar, lemon juice, or a cold compress.

Unlike wasps, bees leave their stings in the wound. They should be removed with a flat edge — such as a knife, scissors or fingernail — and the sting treated with a weak ammonia solution or baking soda.

In all cases, see a doctor if there is swelling, or if the sting is on the mouth. Jellyfish stings can be □ VILLAGE SQUARE

treated by bathing with methylated spirits. In severe cases, call for medical help and treat for shock as follows: Keep the patient calm and comfortable and. if possible, raise his legs to improve the flow of blood to the brain. Small drinks may help. Call for medical help. Cramp Cramp is usually caused by chilling or over-exertion, but may be due to heat exhaustion. Strech the muscle and massage it and. if heat exhaustion is suspected, give the patient a teaspoon of salt dissolved in half a litre of water.

Cramp can be particulars dangerous while swimming and is a common cause of drowning. So don't overdo it in the water.

Trj’ to bear in mind that many accidents are caused by just that — overdoing it and taking unnecessary risks when we should know better.

"Once again, it is up to adults to lead the way." says Dr Geddis. "Teaching children good safety habits — and observing them yourself — is one of a parent’s most important responsibilities." "Safety education begins early and starts with the family. If we can teach our children to play safely, we ll be well on the way to reducing the number of accidents in the future."

by Chuck Stiles