The thread that could save a life

[SlightlyJaded]

So I was really shocked at the terrible camping tragedy a few weeks ago where people died from carbon monoxide poisoning from the fumes given off by a disposable barbecue. It was a horribly sad but really shocking for me because I didn't know:

Disposable bbq's gave off carbon monoxide
Carbon monoxide 'sinks' so you are most at danger at floor level
Tents do not offer enough ventilation to prevent it.

Then the other day a fireman told me that one of the biggest causes of fires these days are phone/laptop chargers plugged in but not connected to a device. I had no idea.

And when I did a first aid course when PFB DD1 was born, the St John Ambulance woman told me that if she had her way, balloons would be outlawed until children were around 8-10. Smaller children try to blow them up, they don't have the lungs for it and the balloon suddenly pings into the mouth/back of throat and no 'upside down/back banging/heimlich maneuver is ever going to shift them'. She said that the 999 emergency services operators always feel their hearts sink when someone calls up in a panic because a child has swallowed a balloon because it so often has a grim outcome.

My DC think I'm a bit mad about balloons now. But hey ho.

Please share more 'hidden dangers' that we might not all be aware of. Not to give us all the horrors but seriously, I wouldn't have thought twice about the disposable barbeque and it's really made me wonder if I am doing anything else stupid/dangerous.

it's live but does it matter if it's covered? isnt it still safer than being exposed so a toddler can shove a fork in it, or plug something in and use it? (not being arsey, just don't understand)

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8273795.stm

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1216435/Doctors-warning-parents-number-children-hurt-trampolines-soars.html

surely the socket is live yes but as plastic doesn't conduct electricity (as far as i know) then it is still safe, whereas an uncovered socket could have the potential for a small person to insert something that does conduct electricity into it, and is therefore more dangerous uncovered

Stacey and madmomma The info re socket covers is here

My understanding is that some retailers have stopped selling them because they are dangerous.

It's been mentioned before but tumble dryers are a big cause of house fires. The fluff can burn very easily so should be removed after every dry and you should never leave one on when the house is empty.
Although if there is goingvto be a fire in my house I would rather it was empty.

well i have pets so i'd rather be in the house if a fire started. i do run mine at night though but wont anymore.

I am always tumble drying at night
And when we're out

Think I will carry on when we are out, but not at night any more

Also wondering if the carbon monoxide alarm on my DS's ceiling (his room is near the boiler cupboard) should actually be lower down?

I know of 2 fires that have been started by plug in air freshners.

NEVER leave your tumbler drier on and leave the house/go to bed.

That's a good point about the C M alarm, it would seem to make sense if it sinks to ground level.

Plug in air freshners/sprays are also a factoor in ear infections in young children.

CO detectors should be fitted quite low (not on a ceiling) as CO sinks. They should also be installed on the opposite side of the room to the gas appliance and not near any windows.

where to install a CO alarm

Small marshmallows = severe choking hazard. Baby nearby ate one from parents hot chocolate and died there in the restaurant . No paramedics or anyone could save him :-(

I want to reiterate the grapes being a chocking hazard one. And include cherry tomatoes! For children under 4 they need to be cut at least in half, preferably quarters. My sister who is a paediatrician is doing research for an article and grapes are now a greater cause of death by choking than little bits of toys (which has decreased significantly since the introduction of "Warning: Choking Hazard" labels). It's even more difficult to get information on serious injury.

When I was a baby my mum had to cut up grapes to take the seeds out but obviously we don't need to do that anymore with only seedless grapes available. Don't take the risk!

I always cut DS's grapes lengthwise and he still managed to get one stuck - luckily I got it free quite quickly and easily but after that I cut them into quarters and skinned them so they squished more easily.

Blind cords - either get safety ones or cut them so they're not in a loop.

Don't use your dishwasher or tumbledryer or washing machine on a timer setting so it comes on in the night. I know of someone who did this and the dishwasher caught fire, their smoke alarm woke them up and they got out though the cats died and the house was gutted.

Then a year later our dishwasher caught fire, luckily I was in the dining room at the time. The assessor who came out said he goes to a lot of house fires where such appliances have started the fire - he won't use his if he's going out either.

Change the batteries in your smoke alarms twice a year when the clocks change.

The thing is, if these air fresheners work only when you plug them in (because they then become warm) and the plug prongs are only made of plastic, it's the same thing for these covers...also, if there is nothing in the plug socket, then the child can't push anything into the live bits unless they are pushing into the top one and at least one bottom one.

Here's one from my aunt who used to work in a specialist burns unit: if your chip pan or other pan of oil catches fire, DO NOT try to take it outside the back door, as the draft of air when you open the door will push the flames up your arm and burn you severely. Instead soak a towell in water and throw it over the pan.

Nobody's yet said about fixing furniture to walls. Anything that could topple if climbed on (or even if you don't think it can but can't be sure - toddlers can manage things you don't expect!). Chests of drawers, bookcases, wardrobes - anything a child could pull, hang or climb on. There have been several horrible stories of deaths from crush or impact injuries.

Also as someone above did say, I've heard of a few nasty cases of TVs either falling off stands onto children, or falling from walls/brackets if they weren't fixed securely enough.

Oh and if anyone still has a pond and has small children (or lives where children could easily get access to it) - please, just get a safe cover, or just fill it in!

In a hurry, so can't read now, but don't want to lose this so marking my place for later.

My (electronics engineer/ general electrics technician) DH says that when plugged in phone chargers put out a constant power supply, and if they are not connected to the device that needs charging, this power has nowhere "safe" to go and then can cause fires.

He also says the same is true of some other types of battery rechargers, so it's not just phone chargers you need to be careful with.

I thought the plug in air freshener was a urban myth www.snopes.com/inboxer/household/glade.asp

I know they are a risk, but then every electrical item is also a risk, nothing is totally safe.

Of course there are cases where they are the cause of a fire, but because they haven't been used properly, like here where clothing was left over the freshener www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-14865348

I've long been bothered by trampolines. I have so many (adult) friends who do just that: let a whole load of kids play on the trampoline at once, and I know it's really dangerous but I just wimpily say things like "do you think it's a good idea to have that many kids on there?" rather than "for fuck's sake, you madwoman, only one or two kids at a time!"