Safety at Home (Guidance Manual)

July 2015

Introduction The developments being witnessed in this world have produced a lot of dangers that threaten the man’s safety and security. The occurrence of domestic accidents and the with resultant fatalities, injuries, and material losses are painful realities. It is unfortunate indeed that studies and research indicate that most home accidents are due to ignorance about safety and proper conduct of actions. Electricity and gas have become essential necessities and cannot be dispensed with because they provide power to things that make life easier. They are great blessings God has given man if used properly, yet with accompanying risks that can make life miserable. It has become necessary learn about the risk they bring, its causes, prevention, and how to deal with it. Safety is a requirement for all and is a goal that is achievable but it will take a concerted effort and the consolidation of general safety concepts in all segments of society. Based on the foregoing, we were keen to present some of the important aspects that will help the family in planning and training, and what it should do in terms of home safety, and how to behave during accidents. We will be focusing on the following themes: • Domestic accidents and ways of prevention • Methods of dealing with domestic accidents when they occur • Safety procedures and means required at home • First aid

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Domestic Accidents and Methods of Prevention Gas Accidents Negligence or tampering with gas cylinders can cause serious injuries to family members and neighbors, God forbid. To prevent gas accidents, we recommend that you follow the following: • Select a suitable, safe, and well-ventilated place for the cylinder, away from stoves. • Ensure the integrity of all related piping/fittings and avoid exposing them to heat and other weather conditions that may cause them to deteriorate and to immediately replace the parts that have been torn or damaged. • Check and clean the stoves and ovens, make sure that gas outlets are not blocked or jammed. • When lighting a gas stove or oven, light a match first and then opened turn on the gas valve. • Install a gas leak detector for safety. • Turn off the gas stove shut-off valve and the gas cylinder valve before going to bed or and when leaving the place. This last point is very important and necessary.

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Burning Oil Accidents To prevent the occurrence of the unfavorable consequences in the kitchen caused by oil left on the stove which can ignite causing a fire while the housewife is engaged in another task, the following are preventive measures in this regard. • Never leave the oil on the gas stove unattended and engage in another task. • Follow up with the househelps and increase their awareness about these incidents. • Consistently clean oil spills on a gas stove.

Kitchen Accidents Kitchen is one of the high risk places in the home, especially for young children creating a mess and tampering with kitchen appliances and hot tools when the mother or babysitter is not around. We recommend the following: • Install a suitable barrier at the kitchen door to prevent the children from entering. • To put the child down in his crib or in the stroller to prevent him from reaching or getting near hot appliances. • Never leave the handles of kitchen wares/utensils towards the front. • The young children must not be allowed to assist in serving the meals to for their own safety.

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Incidents of tampering with matches and stove knobs In the kitchen, we can notice that children, when they find an opportunity, will never hesitate to tamper with the stove switches/knobs or to fool around with matches. In order to prevent this type incidents, we recommend the following: • Use special childproof lighters to light the stoves in order not to give the children a chance to tamper with it. • Get rid of excess old furniture instead of stacking them in the balconies of the buildings. • Lock the rooms that have rarely used furniture to avoid fire. • Shut off/lock gas cylinders after every use to prevent leakage.

Incidents Involving Sharp Instruments Sharp and dangerous tools are found in the kitchen that can possibly inflict injury when misused or when the children deal with them ignorantly. To prevent the injuries caused by sharp tools you may consider the following points: • Keeping distance where applicable from the use of these sharp tools and toys. • Never allow children to get hold of sharp kitchen tools and keep them away from their reach. • Do not give fork and knife to very young children at meal time but rather teach them the proper way of eating using non-sharp cutlery. • Prevent children from chasing each other between pieces of furniture in the rooms and hallways. • Never allow children to have their food and drinks served in fragile pots and glasses such as crystal glass, for example. • Keeping the school tools such as (geometry tools) inside the bags and in the designated studying places . • Keeping away small pieces of metals and coins away from children.

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Falling Fall Accidents Falls are the most common type of accident in the home related to children climbing trees in the garden, lifts, windows, balcony railings, falling off bikes and swings. For the prevention of falls in children, we recommend the following safety precautions: • Do not place tables or chairs near windows and balconies. • Do not leave any liquid and sticky materials on the floors of the house and bathroom flooring. • Teach the youngsters the proper way to ascend and descend and warning them of the hazards of jumping. • Install suitable barriers and guardrails on the windows, balconies, and places where children go to look out. • Allocation of a specified place for the gathering of toys to prevent them from being the cause of slips and falls. • To put barriers in the places where the babies might climb during their crawling stage. • Ensure that the toys are safe and secured, and the children are acquainted with the proper use of their toys. • Select good quality of ceramics and tiles with anti-slip properties, and the remove water and soap from floors. • Do not leave children alone in the toilets and WCs and high places to prevent them from falling.

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Door Closer Accidents The risk which children are continuously exposed to are door risks. So here we refer to the danger of doors and the large number of accidents incurred by children, as we point out in the following points: • Automatic spring door closer causing the door to collide with a pedestrian. • Swing doors hitting unseen person behind the door. • Doors with sharp edges can cause injury or fracture to hands and fingers. • The locking of the doors in rooms or WCs can lead to injuries. It is important to pay attention to door risks and to take necessary precautions such as: • Use finely manufactured door locks against undesired door locking. • Never leave the keys attached to the door locks, instead keep the keys in a clear and well-known place. • When a child is locked in a room of the home or in the toilet, the child must first be calmed down and immediately call the civil defense without wasting any time.

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Food Poisoning Incidents The food poisoning occurs in homes due to ingestion of food or drink contaminated with a toxic material, or by eating foods passed the expiration date or foods that have been exposed to the sun. Hence, the following preventive measures are very important, and they are as follows: • Make sure to check the “expiration date” on label of prepackaged/ready-to-eat food or those homemade stuff. • Immediately get rid of all rotten foods when found, and do not leave them inside the home to prevent them being eaten by persons unaware as to its rottenness. • Avoid leaving food uncovered to avoid its exposure to harmful insects and weather factors. • Wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly before eating.

Pesticides and Detergents Incidents There are also the painful incidents of poisoning involving pesticides and detergents due to the following: • Ingestion of food or drink contaminated with pesticides or detergents. • Storing food and drinks near pesticides and detergents. • Ingestion of readymade food or drink kept in empty pesticides containers. • Handling and eating food with contaminated hands.

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To avoid such incidents, the following preventive measures are summarized below: • Keep pesticides and detergents in closed, well-ventilated places, far from the sources of humidity, heat, and direct flame, and away from the reach of children. • Never put these materials in containers used for food and drink. • Wear protective clothing when using or handling these materials. • Avoid direct exposure to different types of pesticides and detergents and refrain from eating during use. • Do not enter areas sprayed with pesticides unless the area is well-ventilated. • Soap detergents with corrosive effects and stain removers used as disinfectants must be used properly while taking into account NOT to get them into your eyes, nose, and mouth. • Do not mix these materials together to avoid a reaction which can and cause an explosion.

Medication Poisoning Often seen in hospital emergency rooms are cases of medication poisonings among young children aged between 1 and 4 years, due to lack of adequate home care or by taking medications passed their expiration date. To guard against these risks, the following safety precautions must be taken: • Keep medications in a place at in home where it will be difficult for children to reach. • Do not store medications in hot places. • Medicines should not be likened to candies so that children will not likely think that medicines are a sweet tasting medication to that can be eaten at any time. • Get rid of medicines passed their expiration dates and that are no longer needed.

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Smoking Accidents An obvious to avoid accidents from happening inside the house is to keep away from what is causing those accidents, certainly in smoking which can cause a lot of fire accidents. Therefore, those who are affected by this dilemma must take the following safety precautions: • Make sure to completely extinguish the cigarette. • Avoid smoking at bedtime. • Put cigarette butts a cigarette receptacle. • Do not throw cigarettes out of the windows because they may fall on flammable materials. • Do not leave the cigarette lighter or matches within the reach of children.

Electrical Accidents Electricity is part of daily life in modern times, and like all other modern inventions is a double-edged sword. Thus, it must be treated with extreme caution and children must be kept away from tampering with appliances and electrical wires inside the home, and to make them well aware about the dangers of electricity at an early age. The precautionary measure to avoid electricity accidents include the following points: • Raising the electrical connections and devices out of the reach of children as high as possible. • Permanent cautious of children approaching electrical connections when used. • Always be sure of the integrity of the electrical wiring and compliance with specifications and standards. • Not loading connections (sockets and outlets) more than its capacity. • Placement of the devices on fixed carriers, for fear of their falling down on the children when withdrawn. • Keeping away from contact with electrical appliances with wet hands.

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• Habituation of children on the optimal dealing when using electrical devices, and following its particular instructions. • Avoiding the operation of the devices over wet floors and it is better to always wear shoes to avoid the occurrence of electrical chocks. • Stay away from exposed cables anywhere, and not touching electric poles, especially in the time of rain. • Maintenance of the electrical appliances and devices and checking them always to assure their validity for use. • Unplug devices used immediately upon completion.

Heating Accidents The reasons behind the accidents of different heating means during winter seasons are due to the misuse of those means and unfamiliarity with the relevant safety requirements such as electrical, kerosene, and oil or water operated heater, or those operated by coal or firewood heaters. The precautions from the risks of those heaters are as follows:

1- Electrical Heater

• Not to connect the heater by poor wires to avoid any short circuit. • Avoid placing wiring beneath the carpet and furniture. • Avoid placing the heater in the hallways inside the house especially during nighttime so that it may not fall on the nearby furniture. • Not to leave children around it on their own to avoid tripping and making it fall or harming them. • Not to be used as a tool for ignition or warming or to ignite incense on it. • It is preferred to have a circuit breaker to disconnect current when the heater falls. 11

2- Gas Heater This type is one of the most dangerous heating means that utmost caution must be taken when in use due to its containment of highly inflammable gas when there is sparking or a flame very near to it. And because of the suffocation it may cause in case of gas leakage. When in use of it the following instructions must be followed: • Make sure of the heater integrity and that there is no gas leakage before operating by checking the valve between the cylinder and the heater. • To put the cylinder five meters far from the heater at least, and it is preferable to put the cylinder out of house wherever applicable. • Do not put the heater in the hallways or near the furniture at home so as not to cause a fire. • Do not leave children alone around it and prevent them from tampering. • Avoid ignition of fire when the room is saturated with gas, and also cylinder must be closed if there is a gas smell inside the room.

3- Kerosene Heater This type is one of the most dangerous heating means that utmost caution must be taken when in use due to its containment of highly inflammable gas when there is sparking or a flame very near to it. And because of the suffocation it may cause in case of gas leakage. When in use of it the following instructions must be followed: • Make sure of the heater integrity and that there is no gas leakage before operating by checking the valve between the cylinder and the heater. • To put the cylinder five meters far from the heater at least, and it is preferable to put the cylinder out of house wherever applicable. • Do not put the heater in the hallways or near the furniture at home so as not to cause a fire. • Do not leave children alone around it and prevent them from tampering. • Avoid ignition of fire when the room is saturated with gas, and also cylinder must be closed if there is a gas smell inside the room.

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4- Oil operated heater It is one of the best heating means in terms of safety, it is common that in this type the oil is used after being heated by electricity, as the oil passes through hot slides and send warmth inside the room without causing a direct flame or harmful gases. So when use it the following guidelines should be followed: • Not loading electrical wiring or connectors above their capacity and must use the good quality type of wires for electricity connection. • Set the heater in a stable place so as not to fall and therefore the oil spill on the furniture.

Heating by coal or firewood Means of heating by coal or firewood are old means, but some people still prefer it for many reasons, out of which the nostalgia or the smell of its ignition, the circle of the family around it with the friends and other reasons. It is noted that the use of this method is on the rise, especially in the motels rest houses, hiking camps in addition to the use inside the house. Therefore, we recommend educating the user about the risks of this type of heating by these points: • Ignition of the coal outside the house until it is fully burnt and then removes it to the rooms. • Avoid closing doors and windows so as the site is not saturated with Carbon monoxide which has no color or odor, and which leads to suffocation and death. • Do not leave the coal stoves in the hallways or close to the furniture in the house because it may cause a fire inside the house. • Do not throw waste coal and firewood in waste bins while still burning. • Awareness of family members on the dangers of coal and to follow the safety instructions.

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Water Heater Accidents There is a need for having water heaters in cold houses, but those heaters involve many risks which primarily lie in the failure of the regulator and the thermostat, or the lack of water access to heaters in a systematic manner, leading to an explosion of the geyser. In order to prevent incidents of heaters you must: • Cleaning the water heater periodically. • Ensure constant access of water to the heater and insulation of the power supply in the event of interruption by the water. • Periodical maintenance of the safety valve to ensure the regularity of its work. • Adjusting temperature inside the heater by the regulator on a degree of less than 70 ° C

Electric Elevators Accidents Given to the numerous existence of elevators in giant buildings (complexes) and small buildings as well; their risks have become predictable in spite of the multiplicity and diversity of the means of safety in these elevators. It must be emphasized on the need to keep the elevator throughout its service safe and sound so that its users are not exposed to the risk of detention. To prevent such risks we recommend the following: • That the children do not use the elevator lonely on their own. • Forbidding children from tampering with or playing in the elevator as that could result in their detention or falling into the elevator’s well and injured. • Need to increase children’s awareness on the risks of the elevator. • When the elevator stops the detainees must calm down and behave rationally and wisely, not hitting the doors fiercely or pushing the buttons violently. • Immediately call the civil defense for help and rescue when needed. • Not to spill water or liquids inside or near the elevator to avoid its failure to function. • Adherence to the elevator’s approved load.

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Drowning Accidents The concerned with home safety connect the drowning accidents in bathtubs, water pits, and swamps with the negligence by the adults who are playing a major role in the occurrence of these accidents, the drowning in tubs occurs as a result of allowing young children to bathe alone, with the absence of the parents. To protect you from drowning we recommend taking the following actions: • Not leaving child alone in the bathtub. • Teaching the child good habits in bathing and the importance of safety measures in case of drowning risks. • That the parents must not preoccupied from their children while bathing. • Keep far all plastic vessels, buckets, and pools that may collect water inside it away from children. • Always make sure that the water tanks holes in the house, and the sewage holes are tightly closed, and it is preferable to have locks to avoid messy and useless opening. • Monitoring children out of their homes near adjacent under construction buildings. • Prevent children from swimming in open wells; swamps as that may be have muddy and grassy edges.

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Swimming Pool Accidents There is a need for having water heaters in cold houses, but those heaters involve many risks which primarily lie in the failure of the regulator and the thermostat, or the lack of water access to heaters in a systematic manner, leading to an explosion of the geyser. In order to prevent incidents of heaters you must: • Do not leave the children alone in the pool with the need for a fence to prevent their entry. • Avoid the entry of those who do not master swimming in the pool without a coach or someone who can help. • Provision of safety tools in the pool such as survive hoops and hand knobs around the pool and access ladders or stairs to the bottom of the to all pool corners. • That the bottom of the swimming pool is not sloped and the slope does not exceed (1-3) meters. • Making of a non-slip floor with a distance of three meters from the edge of the pool. • Avoid leaving children in the swimming pool during a thunderstorm because of the accompanied risks.

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Accidents of Children Games and Toys The injury cases due to falls in games and toys used by children inside the house calls parents to ensure the safety of the playing area. To prevent such incidents, we have to follow the following: • The design of gaming equipment must be appropriate to age and physical growth of children. • Places of games must be far from busy and major streets. • Taking into account the harmony between games as such placing small toys with each other, big ones together, not to mix them. • The ground’s surface surrounding games is of the most important imperatives of safety and the best surface is a sandy surface, which helps the shock absorption and should be in the range of depth of 30 cm and be free of glass and gravel. • Do not tamper with lighting lamps inside playgrounds so as not to hurt the children by electricity. • Separation between the fixed toys and mobile toys, it is preferred to build a fence between them. • Inspect toys periodically to ensure their safety and they are not affected by natural factors, all the game toys are installed in a proper way, and that there is no protruding parts and protrusions.

How to deal with Occurrence of Home Accidents Dealing the right way through containing and controlling accidents will reduce the losses caused by them. House is the man’s safety castle, and his heaven of comfort, that should be fenced by means of safety to keep far the loss of life and property. We will mention hereunder the most correct ways to deal with domestic accidents:

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First: fire accidents When a fire occurs, God forbid, next steps must be followed: • Immediately inform the present people about the fire incident with quick evacuation of the place through the safe emergency exits. • Disconnection of electricity from the source. • Contact civil defense on the number (998). • Firefighting by existing primary extinguishing means such as fire extinguishers. • In the event of heavy smoke was there then a wet handkerchief must be put on the mouth, nose and crawling on the ground towards the emergency exit. • Do not try to return to the accident scene to take anything even if it was valuable Second: Gas Accidents In case of the discovery of a gas leak, there are procedures to be followed: • Closing the source of the gas leak. • Open the windows. • Avoid using electricity lighting switch neither to put on nor to put off, running exhaust fans, or use of matchsticks. • In case a fire occurred in the site then you have to lock the gas source and move it far from the fire. • In the event that the leakage was in the general gas network, then the gas company is called to handle it properly. For the identification of the leakage point you should: - Not resort to matchstick to detect the leakage. - Use water and soap for the detection of leakage, if air bubbles appeared then leakage is there.

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Procedures and safety measures required from the household • Provision of a suitable fire extinguisher, taking into account to be in a prominent place, out of reach of children, and has a regular maintenance. • Installation of smoke detectors in the kitchen and hallways, to have them maintained, and replaced when necessary. In addition, provision of training to family members to gather at a certain point when hearing the alarm bell. • Provision of first aid kit, taking into account to put it away from children and to secure some medicines and necessary medical supplies in it. • Identification of emergency exits and gathering places of family members in the event of a fire. • Training on how to deal with incidents when they occur and act calmly and try to help the children and their evacuation to a safe place. The need to indentify the family to the telephone number of civil defense (998) in case of any emergency, God forbids. The proper use of a fire extinguisher: • Removal of safety pin. • Taking the needed distance required by the size of the fire. • Pressure on the extinguisher piston. • Directing the hose to the base of the flame. • Standing in the direction of the air.

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First Aid The likelihood of injuries is present there especially in emergency situations; it is necessary to redress the injury expeditiously by administering the first aid and prevent the situation of the injured from deteriorating. We will discuss hereunder some ways of the first aid. First aid in the case of first-degree burns: • Cooling the burn with cool water for 20 minutes. • Ice cubes are NOT advised as they may increase tissue damage. • Avoid removal of clothing conjoined to burns by force. • Covering wide burnt area by clean cloak. • Calling the Red Crescent or evacuation of the injured to the hospital. First aid in case of wounds: • Cleaning the wound from dirt by a sterile piece of cotton or gauze. • If the wound is deep press by a piece of sterile gauze on the wound and continue until the bleeding stops. • Evacuate the injured after first aid to the nearest hospital.

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First aid in case of electric shock: Disconnect electricity immediately or pull the power cord using a wooden lute to pull the wire, or pulling the injured by special clothing or a special leather belt. • If breathing and pulse were cut off then must perform continuous cardiopulmonary resuscitation – CPR - until breathing and heart beating are back to work normally. • Covering the body of the injured by a cover to keep him warm. • Calling the Red Crescent or evacuation of the injured to the hospital. Aid in case of fractures: • Monitoring the injury and make sure of the fracture. • Identification of the injured part. • Do not move the injured party. • Do not use violence in moving or pulling of the injured part. • Location of the injured part on a stable ground. • Put a temporary splint if available. • Calling the Red Crescent or evacuation of the injured to the hospital.

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Artificial respiration: • Place the patient relaxed on his back and look at the air channel and its course so as to make sure there is no obstruction or blockage, and when it is present, should remove this obstacle. • Inhale a deep breath and then hold the breath, put your mouth on the mouth of the injured closing his nose with your hand, then blow what you had inhaled regularly in the lung of the injured, and it is advisable to put a clean cloth between your mouth and his own mouth. • Watch the victim’s chest while he is inhaling a deep breath to make sure of his response to the process. • Kneel near the victim’s head and grab his wrists and press firmly between the ribs to evacuate the air out of the lungs of the patient. • Raise your hands up and extend them downwards to his both sides, and repeat the process every moment continuously until the return of the injured normal breath.

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