“Safety First”

"Safety First" Dangerous Practices about the Home,with Preventive Suggestions BY CHARLES T. RICHARDSON, "FIRST AID TO INJURED," GARFIELD SMELTING CO. After a very careful study and observance of many of the common practices and methods about the home, I have become thoroughly convinced that by exercising a little more care, and by being more cautious, a great many of the common household accidents can certainly be avoided. The amount of pain and suffering which is brought into many homes through the carelessness, and momentary thought- lessness, of some member of the family, is often very appalling, for in many instances it could have certainly been avoided and even prevented. To Parents : If you resort to dangerous practices about your home, your children are very likely to do things in the same way, the younger children not realizing the danger ; while your older children will do so because they have not been cautioned, or told of the danger. They are very apt to follow your methods. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance that parents teach their children the necessity of being careful to avoid dangerous prac- tices about the home and its surroundings. Let parents do so by setting an example before their children in their own daily lives. I wish to point out to you a few of the common household practices that are very dangerous, also to suggest a few appliances that are absolutely necessary about your home, to help you in the prevention of accidents. While the large corporations are systematically studying the causes of accidents to their employees, and are doing all that lies within their power to prevent similar accidents in the future, by installing safety devices, protecting dangerous places, and by changing their operating methods wherever necessary to protect their employees from suffering and disability and often death, so can we also apply these same ideas in our daily work about the home. By so doing, we can keep happiness therein, and not have our happiness marred by painful accidents which may occur be- cause of our neglect. My work, as an emergency nurse and first aid to the in- jured, has convinced me that this "safety first" movement is just as necessary as having a first aid man about the works to give first

54 IMPROVEMENT ERA aid treatment to the men after they are injured. In conjunction with this work at one of the large ore smelting works in this state I have been called with the doctor to attend several household accidents. This has caused me to investigate more thoroughly, and to realize that these preventive measures are just as essential in the home as elsewhere. Several months ago, I attended a very sad case with the doctor. A woman had been severely burned while attempting to pour kerosene into the stove to hasten a few coals that were still alight. Not wishing to take time to clean the grate and relay the kindling, coal, etc., she poured on the kerosene, with the dis- astrous result of an explosion which burned her clothes, hair, and the whole of her body, except the breast and back. This lady died in the hospital two days later, bringing great sorrow into her family. How often this common yet dangerous household practice has brought sorrow and destruction into many homes in the past! Yet, think of how many people still resort to the dangers of thoughtlessly saturating kindling with kerosene and some- times gasoline, before lighting the fire with a match. But what is yet worse, they will often pour the inflammable oil into the grates where there are live coals ! Past results should be enough to convince any person of the clangers of this common practice. Do not wait until death, or a serious accident happens, before you discontinue this dangerous practice, but discontinue it at once, or some day it may be too late. Matches are often left within reach of children, who love to strike them at every opportunity, often setting fire to their clothing, occasionally resulting in death, or the destruction of home, — sometimes both. Keep the matches out of their reach. They should be kept in a non-combustible container. Leave no matches lying around the house, for they may ignite, especially when placed near a stove or lamp, or, something may drop on them. They often ignite from the slightest friction when left where they can easily be moved about. Matches should not be carried loose in the pockets. Always use a metal match case. Great care must be exercised when putting your clothes in the wardrobe or closet in seeing that no matches are left in the pockets. Do not go into dark rooms or closets with an unprotected light, nor by striking matches to see your way. Your closets are always dark, and stored with inflammable material which may ignite, much against your will. Preferably, use a small, electric flash-light, or an electric light extension, with ample cord length to give you access to all the dark corners. The globe should also be protected with a wire casing provided for this purpose, to prevent the globe from being placed on some highlv inflammable

'SAFETY FIRST" 55 material or from getting knocked against any hard object which is likely to break it. All homes wherein there is electricity should be provided with such an extension light which may be fastened m any light socket about the house, and which will prevent many serious accidents and conflagrations. Never go into a clothes closet with a kerosene lamp in your hand. It is safter to have some one to hold the lamp for you. However, it is better to use an electric flash-light and be safe. Another common practice often proving disastrous, is hang- ing clothes around the stove to dry, especially during the winter months. They will dry in a warm room, but keep them away from the stove. Of course, it will take longer for them to dry ; but think how much safer it is. It may be the means of saving your home ! Again, let me warn you against the improper handling of kerosene and gasoline. Oftentimes a housewife will have a can of gasoline standing on the table while she is cleaning and press- ing clothes. Keep the gasoline can away from the iron or a light, for the evaporation from the gasoline may ignite by "the heat or flame, thus producing spontaneous combustion. Do not pour the gasoline into an unprotected container such as a cup. pan or saucer, as you may accidentally drop a match into it or ignite it in some way, especially when you have heat near it. Do not forget to keep it away from the stove or open flames while you are doing this work, for gaseous vapors are driven off which may ignite from excessive heat at any time, even though the flame does not come in contact with the container or its con- tents. You cannot be too careful at any time, in handling these inflammable oils. Then again, those who smoke should be careful where cigarette or pipe contents are thiown, for many fires have been caused by such carelessness. House-cleaning time is not without its dangers. Is your home' equipped with a substantial stepladder or stool for you to stand on while cleaning the walls, hanging pictures, putting up curtains, and adjusting the window shades, or while you are doing any other kind of similar work about the house? Often housewives place boxes, or pile books and magazines on chairs, tables or stools, thus dangerously attempting to clean windows, or reach the top of the cupboard. Let your husband get you a good stepladder or bench to stand on instead. Above all never stand on a revolving piano stool nor even on the new stationary piano seat, for neither is that made to stand on. Never stand on the back of a chair in reaching for anything. The chair may tip, or slip backwards with you. Worse, never place a board across the backs of two chairs to make a platform to stand on. However, that is very often done. Chairs make very dan- gerous trestles and should be eliminated for such purposes. How-

56 IMPROVEMENT ERA ever, you may use some chairs by standing on the seat, provided it be solid. Even that does not eliminate the possibility of injury, for smoothly-polished hardwood chairs are very slippery. Cane- bottom chairs may be somewhat worn and break with you. Do not attempt to stand on a chair on a polished hardwood floor. During house-cleaning times, and even in the daily work about the home, unsafe makeshifts are too often resorted to for the lack of proper equipment to make your work safe. However, house-cleaning must be done, for "cleanliness is next to God- liness," but "Safety" will prolong your life and happiness, also help you to avoid unnecessary injury and suffering. Window-cleaning has its dangers. People often stand on the window ledge and hold on with one hand while using the mop with the other hand. You cannot hang in that position very long. Your arm becomes tired. You may lose your balance and fall backards. Even while cleaning windows outside, this haz- ardous practice is often resorted to. Another common custom is to reach out from the inside of the house, sitting on the window ledge, holding onto the casing on the outside of the window, with your feet hanging inside of the room. I know of a case where a lady lost her hold, falling backward to the ground from the front window of her home, striking the ground and breaking her neck. These windows can be reached from the ground or the floor with a stepladder or a small bench. If the ground is some- what uneven, it would be a good idea to have somebody steady the ladder for you. Use a mop with an extension handle to clean the outside of upstairs windows, or windows that cannot be safely reached without a ladder. Small children should be kept outside of the kitchen during cooking hours, or even while you are washing dishes ; and never allow your baby around you on wash days. If you are alone, how much better it is to get some young girl to mind your baby for you, for the safety of many children is often overlooked and even neglected, I dare not say intentionally, for no parent wishes to wilfully injure his child. Yet their safety is often thoughtlessly and carelessly overlooked in your not giving enough attention to the safety of your children or yourself, but with only the idea in your mind of getting certain work done. However, small children are always a source of great anxiety, especially to the mother. They put a great many cares upon her shoulders, and it is very trying to the mother, while attempting to look after the babies, to do her work at the same time. In spite of what you may do for them, they will very often injure themselves, much against your will and careful arrangements. Therefore, it is necessary to be more than ever on the alert for their safety. Children are constantly grasping at the mother's clothing,

"SAFETY FIRST" 57 while she is working ; for this reason I have suggested that they be kept out of the kitchen and away from mother on wash days. Often you do not know that they are clinging to you, thus causing you to fall, or to spill hot water, or to upset the hot food which you may be carrying. Many children have been seriously burned from just such causes. Stairways should be blocked so that you can rest assured that your small children will not climb the stairs, only to fall down them. Keep the cellar doors closed, and preferably locked. 1 f you have cellar steps that are unprotected, you should protect them at once. Always bear in mind that stairways are very dan- gerous, if they are not kept in good condition. How often we see cellar doors and steps that are very much neglected, causing many of the grown people to fall and injure themselves. Are your wells properly guarded? An open curb well is a death trap which should positively be eliminated and replaced with a suitable pump. Are there any large or small creeks near your home that are unprotected? All foot boards and logs are very dangerous things to cross a stream on. Discard these at once, replacing them with solid, substantial bridges or walks properly guarded with hand railings and toe-boards nailed on the side to prevent any one from falling into the stream if he should accidentally fall while crossing the bridge, even though it be over a small stream. How often people lav an old board or a log across streams as permanent crossings. They take many chances every time they do so. Many grown people, as well as the aged, crippled, and even small children, have fallen off such dangerous places and been drowned. Many people have fallen from bridges because there was no railing provided. All porches not equipped with proper railings are dangerous. Children often play on the porches and may fall off. Grown peo- ple often fall from unguarded porches. Again, therein comes the necessity of teaching your children safety ideas, and to be careful. -Those same teachings will be in- stilled into the minds of many of the children, and remain with them throughtout their lives, thus saving them from resorting to many of the dangerous practices later in life. All drugs and medicines used in the home should be kept in a well-protected place provided for that purpose only, and kept locked safely, not left about the house or kept on shelves. All of these bottles and packages should be plainly labeled and properly directioned. Never rely on your memory as to what is in a bottle. If it is unlabeled, and' should any doubt arise as to what it is. throw it away. If you wish to save the bottle, thoroughly cleanse and boil it in scalding water at least half an hour. Loose corks

58 IMPROVED ENT ERA from bottles should he immediately destroyed. Your children are very apt to get hold of these loose corks. Invariably they will put them in their mouths, and if one of these corks should happen to come from a bottle containing poison, very disastrous results may follow. Older people should never place corks in their mouhts, for the reasons just mentioned. Remember distinctly that you should never go to the medi- cine cabinet, or even administer medicine, in the dark ; you may get the wrong bottle and take a poison by mistake ! Always read the directions carefully before administering medicine, and be sure that you have the right bottle. You cannot be too careful in this respect. Carbolic acid is often taken by mistake for alcohol, and poisonous antiseptic tablets mistaken for common cathartic and headache tablets. While visiting with a family, at one time, I happened to notice their two-year-old child coming out of the house with a bottle of poisonous bichloride of mercury antiseptic tablets in its hand. I immediately took the bottle away from the child, calling the fath- er's attention to what the child had. The bottle was labeled poison, so that any grown person, in reading the label, would readily know it was dangerous, but the child, being too young, did not know. Therein comes the necessity of your safely locking all medicines away from the reach of children, which I explained to the parents of this particular child. Parents should be very careful what they give the smaller children to play with. They are apt to swallow small articles, often choking to death. Never give a child your purse to play with without having previously removed all small coins. The education of the public in general towards carefulness is very essential aid in the elimination of accidents both at home and in public places or conveyances. Too often many accidents are due to our improper methods, aided by our contributory neg- ligence or thoughtlessness. Accidents are generally unforeseen, and often happen when least thought of, or expected, yet we may often avoid, and many times prevent, these needless accidents by necessary precautions. I submit for your consideration accounts of various household accidents taken from the newspapers : Garfield, Utah. — One year old babe left alone for few minutes one evening by father and mother. Pulled off table cover, upsetting the lamp. Babe and house destroyed by fire. Garfield, Utah. — Woman left a bottle of carbolic acid on the table. A neighbor's child wandered in, drank the acid and died next day. Salt Lake City, Utah. — Girl five years old was painfully injured by dropping an ax, with which she was playing, nearly severing one of her fingers. The child was taken to the hospital for treatment. Twin Falls, Tdaho. — Boy two and a half years old had a very nar- row escape from death by hanging. While playing in a swing and twisting the ropes the child in some manner got the rope twisted about

"SAFETY FIRST" 59 his neck, strangling him. A physician was called and the boy was saved. Salt Lake City, Utah. — Mother twenty-one years old was severely burned about the face, hands and body by an explosion of kerosene, while attempting to start a fire in a stove. Some live coals in the grate caused the explosion. She died in the hospital two days later. Salt Lake City, Utah. — Girl three years old died from burns re- ceived by getting too near a cook stove. Her clothing caught fire, burning her so severely that she died five hours later. Illinois. — A family was moving into a rented house. While at- tempting to move the piano with a lighted lamp on top, the lamp was tipped over, causing a fire in the room, destroying some of the furniture. Salt Lake City, Utah. — A mother fell down an embankment in front of her home and died the next day from the injuries sustained. Note: The lawn in front of the house extends to a concrete wall at the street. There was no fence nor railing provided. Salt Lake City, Utah. — Mother aged 60 fell from the veranda of her home, sustaining a compound fracture of her right arm. Note: There was no railing around the veranda. Missouri. — A mother sent her five-year-old boy to get some kind- ling. The little fellow exceeded her instructions by placing the wood by the stove and starting the fire. He saturated the wood with gaso- line. An explosion resulted when he applied the match. This sudden blaze would probably have been enough to have severely burned him, but in the meantime he had left the gasoline can remaining on the top of the stove. A terrific explosion followed. He was so severely burned that he died within a few hours, and the mother was pain- fully burned while attempting to rescue the child. Eureka, Utah.- — A fire which started in the bedroom of a home of one of the residents, through carelessness in the use of matches by their children, almost completely ruined their home and furniture. The following statistical report from the state of Indiana for the year 1913 is very interesting, yet very appalling when noting the amount of needless and careless fires and accidents that are enumerated therein : 917 fires caused by sparks from chimneys and flues 562 " " " carelessness with matches 762 " " " defective flues and chimneys 496 " ' " " overheated stoves and furnaces 325 " " " spontaneous combustions (rubbish in basements and closets) 367 " " " improper handling of gasoline 194 " " " defective electric wiring 117 " " " smokers' carelessness 139 " " " kerosene lamp explosions 400 " " " bonfires, burning rubbish and gas jets placed too near wood. Four hundred people were burned to death in Illinois during the year 1913. The majority of these fatalities was due to the erossest form of carelessness :

60 IMPROVEMENT ERA 65 people burned to death by careless handling of kerosene and gaso- line 55 " " " " " clothes igniting from bonfires 40 " " " " " starting fires with kerosene 40 " " " " " playing with matches 45 " " " " " clothing catching fire from stoves and grates 9 " " " " from carelessness smoking in bed 5 " " " " " stove polish explosions 5 " " " " " sparks from the crackers GARFIELD, UTAH » Helping the Stranger As we travel through the city,- And through land that's strange and new, We have learned to doubt the stranger, Those we trust are very few; And we wonder why we're greeted With a half-suspecting smile, Never thinking that within us We are doubting all the while. Stop and think wherein the fault lies, Ere you censure those you meet; When it's needed, help the stranger; And as you greet him, he will greet. Yet 'tis hard when we have trusted, And been wronged by friends thought true, To establish faith and justice In someone we never knew. Men are born with equal footing, Judge not the many by the few; Some have failed to get the training That to all mankind is due. Then, lift up the weak and fallen, Help them see the better side. They, perhaps, have found no friendship, None in whom they could confide; Oft we're far from friends and kindred, And we feel that no one cares; And 'tis then we need some friendship, Just a smile may help the snares. There's a Power can help us, When the world has ceased to care; Then, let us help the ones that need it, And our paths will not seem bare. choteau, okla. Effie Haskins