No matter where you choose to take your family swimming during the summer, there are a few basic water safety rules that you need to follow. The last thing that you should do, though, is become so comfortable with your surroundings that you allow members of your family to break these rules.
If you are fortunate enough to have a pool in your own backyard, you should make sure that none of your family runs around the pool for any reason, since this can lead to serious injury or even death in some cases. The worst case scenario is a child falling, hitting their head on the side, and drowning at the bottom of the pool.
You can avoid accidents involving small children around the pool if you enclose it with a fence and keep the gate locked at all times. You should do this not only to keep your own children safe from getting in the pool without your knowledge, but also because other children in your neighborhood can wander into your yard and possibly drown, leaving you responsible. This is a horrible thing that could happen, but it does.
Set rules for your children according to their level of swimming experience. They should be let to swim only in depths of water that you are completely comfortable with and those who have just recently started swimming should not be allowed into water that is higher than chest level.
You should also never dive into water that you do not know the depth of. Test the depth of the water physically. No one can tell the depth of a body of water just by looking at it, especially if it is clouded by mud and silt.
If you are swimming in an area such as a river, ocean, or creek, then there is local wildlife that you will have to contend with. Know the wildlife of the area that you may encounter and be prepared to deal with the situation should someone in your group come into contact with it.
Going boating requires that you have on life jackets at all times in most, if not all states in the United States, so make sure that you have them and some extra floatation devices, just in case.
The most important thing that you can learn to help protect your family is CPR and first aid. Lifeguards at city pools are trained in these things, but if you are going swimming in an area that does not have one, this is something that can save someone’s life. Consider taking a class on both subjects.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Being Safe Around The Water
No matter where you choose to take your family swimming during the summer, there are a few basic water safety rules that you need to follow. The last thing that you should do, though, is become so comfortable with your surroundings that you allow members of your family to break these rules.
If you are fortunate enough to have a pool in your own backyard, you should make sure that none of your family runs around the pool for any reason, since this can lead to serious injury or even death in some cases. The worst case scenario is a child falling, hitting their head on the side, and drowning at the bottom of the pool.
You can avoid accidents involving small children around the pool if you enclose it with a fence and keep the gate locked at all times. You should do this not only to keep your own children safe from getting in the pool without your knowledge, but also because other children in your neighborhood can wander into your yard and possibly drown, leaving you responsible. This is a horrible thing that could happen, but it does.
Set rules for your children according to their level of swimming experience. They should be let to swim only in depths of water that you are completely comfortable with and those who have just recently started swimming should not be allowed into water that is higher than chest level.
You should also never dive into water that you do not know the depth of. Test the depth of the water physically. No one can tell the depth of a body of water just by looking at it, especially if it is clouded by mud and silt.
If you are swimming in an area such as a river, ocean, or creek, then there is local wildlife that you will have to contend with. Know the wildlife of the area that you may encounter and be prepared to deal with the situation should someone in your group come into contact with it.
Going boating requires that you have on life jackets at all times in most, if not all states in the United States, so make sure that you have them and some extra floatation devices, just in case.
The most important thing that you can learn to help protect your family is CPR and first aid. Lifeguards at city pools are trained in these things, but if you are going swimming in an area that does not have one, this is something that can save someone’s life. Consider taking a class on both subjects.
If you are fortunate enough to have a pool in your own backyard, you should make sure that none of your family runs around the pool for any reason, since this can lead to serious injury or even death in some cases. The worst case scenario is a child falling, hitting their head on the side, and drowning at the bottom of the pool.
You can avoid accidents involving small children around the pool if you enclose it with a fence and keep the gate locked at all times. You should do this not only to keep your own children safe from getting in the pool without your knowledge, but also because other children in your neighborhood can wander into your yard and possibly drown, leaving you responsible. This is a horrible thing that could happen, but it does.
Set rules for your children according to their level of swimming experience. They should be let to swim only in depths of water that you are completely comfortable with and those who have just recently started swimming should not be allowed into water that is higher than chest level.
You should also never dive into water that you do not know the depth of. Test the depth of the water physically. No one can tell the depth of a body of water just by looking at it, especially if it is clouded by mud and silt.
If you are swimming in an area such as a river, ocean, or creek, then there is local wildlife that you will have to contend with. Know the wildlife of the area that you may encounter and be prepared to deal with the situation should someone in your group come into contact with it.
Going boating requires that you have on life jackets at all times in most, if not all states in the United States, so make sure that you have them and some extra floatation devices, just in case.
The most important thing that you can learn to help protect your family is CPR and first aid. Lifeguards at city pools are trained in these things, but if you are going swimming in an area that does not have one, this is something that can save someone’s life. Consider taking a class on both subjects.
House Fire Sources
Fires can start in the house a number of different ways and knowing as much as you can about fire safety in the home is important in preventing this from happening.
Cooking in the kitchen poses the most amount of risk, but since most people have to do this to survive because they cannot afford to eat out all the time, it must be done. Safety comes first and this means that you should not leave anything on the stove unattended in the kitchen. If you do have to leave, turn it off or leave someone in the kitchen to watch it for you.
Space heaters that you using during the winter time can also present a substantial amount of risk if you do not know where you can safely place them in your home. They should never be put near furniture, curtains, or any other fabric item. Something else you need to know is that extension cords should never be used with appliances that use a lot of electricity or put out a large amount of heat. Electric skillets and deep fryers fall into this category along with space heaters and if you use a normal household extension cord with them, they will melt. If you have to use one, use a heavy duty one that is normally used outside.
If you smoke, this is another possible source of fire in the house. If you have to dump out cigarette ashes, make sure everything in the tray is completely put out. Something you should never do is smoke while you are in bed. Do not let yourself become too relaxed in a chair, either, since you may end up falling asleep and dropping the cigarette, either on the chair, bed, the floor, or yourself.
Chemicals that are flammable like gas and turpentine should be kept outside the house, preferably in a separate building. This way, if they catch on fire for some reason, the extra building will be on fire and not your home.
Electric blankets are also a great convenience, but the bad thing about these is that people tend to leave them on all night while they are sleeping instead of just using them to heat up the bed. Beds catch on fire due to improper use of these, so never leave the house while they are on and never leave them on while you are asleep.
Cooking in the kitchen poses the most amount of risk, but since most people have to do this to survive because they cannot afford to eat out all the time, it must be done. Safety comes first and this means that you should not leave anything on the stove unattended in the kitchen. If you do have to leave, turn it off or leave someone in the kitchen to watch it for you.
Space heaters that you using during the winter time can also present a substantial amount of risk if you do not know where you can safely place them in your home. They should never be put near furniture, curtains, or any other fabric item. Something else you need to know is that extension cords should never be used with appliances that use a lot of electricity or put out a large amount of heat. Electric skillets and deep fryers fall into this category along with space heaters and if you use a normal household extension cord with them, they will melt. If you have to use one, use a heavy duty one that is normally used outside.
If you smoke, this is another possible source of fire in the house. If you have to dump out cigarette ashes, make sure everything in the tray is completely put out. Something you should never do is smoke while you are in bed. Do not let yourself become too relaxed in a chair, either, since you may end up falling asleep and dropping the cigarette, either on the chair, bed, the floor, or yourself.
Chemicals that are flammable like gas and turpentine should be kept outside the house, preferably in a separate building. This way, if they catch on fire for some reason, the extra building will be on fire and not your home.
Electric blankets are also a great convenience, but the bad thing about these is that people tend to leave them on all night while they are sleeping instead of just using them to heat up the bed. Beds catch on fire due to improper use of these, so never leave the house while they are on and never leave them on while you are asleep.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
