Most child accidents caused by trips, falls

Falling or tripping at home is the most common cause of infant and toddler accidents resulting in hospital visits, the Bureau of Health Promotion said yesterday.

The bureau recently surveyed more than 20,000 parents with children under the age of three and asked them about accidents that were serious enough to warrant a trip to hospital.

The survey found that -accidents involving children falling off an elevated location or tripping when walking at home were the most common, followed by impact from other humans or objects. This could include accidentally running into adults or other children or a child bumping his or her head on the edge of a table or a chair.

The third most common form of accident came in the form of cuts and scrapes from sharp objects, including unsafe toys or sharp edges of furniture that have not been child-proofed, the survey showed.

As many as 90 percent of respondents said their household floors were made of hard, smooth materials such as marble or tile, as opposed to wood, carpeting or mats.

Childproofing is lacking in many households, with close to half of the parents who participated in the survey saying that some sharp corners on furniture remained uncovered by rounded protection devices.

One in three households did not cover electric sockets to prevent accidental electrocution, the survey showed.

Other common unsafe locations in the household for children included water coolers that are within reach of children and objects that could be dangerous or even potentially fatal for children to play with, such as the cords on window shades and curtains, as well as plastic bags, the bureau said.

The bureau said local health departments were offering door-to-door services for disadvantaged and low-income families to have a specialist check out the household environment for child safety and to offer helpful tips on childproofing around the house so that children can live and play safely at home, where most accidents happen.

More information on safe environments for children is available on the bureau’s Web site.