Joyce backs Child Safety Week: “Rise in burns to children puts heat on modern homes”

Modern home gadgets such as hair straighteners pose a growing threat to toddlers’ safety across Mid and West Wales.

Most parents think of electrical sockets and irons as dangers to young children in the home but many homes now contain new and unexpected risks.

During Child Safety Week, Mid and West Wales AM Joyce Watson has called for vigilance.
Mrs Watson said: “Accidents are the second biggest childhood killer in the UK. Six children and young people die every week. 2,000 more are admitted to hospital every week because they’ve been injured in accidents. Some are left scarred for life or permanently disabled."

While overall accident rates have started to decline, figures by the Child Accident Prevention Trust (CAPT) show a 50 per cent rise in the number of under fives admitted to hospital due to contact burns over the last ten years. With the increasing popularity of hair straighteners, hospitals are treating increasing numbers of children with serious burns.

Hair straighteners can reach temperatures of 220 degrees C, so can burn children as badly as an iron. They can also still burn children up to eight minutes after they have been unplugged. As young children’s skin is fifteen times thinner than an adult’s, burns from hair straighteners can cause permanent scarring.

Sian Falder, Consultant Plastic Surgeon at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital has seen first hand the impact on toddlers of this growing trend: “We are seeing more and more children with severe burns to their feet, mouth and hands due to hair straightener injuries. On average, we see 44 children a year who need extensive treatment to repair their injuries. It is becoming a major area of concern for us, as parents just aren’t aware of these items as posing a threat.”

A poll by online mums’ portal, NetMums, commissioned by CAPT to mark the launch of Child Safety Week (Monday 22 to Sunday 28 June), showed many mums are unaware of the threats from modern day home hazards. Topping the list of their concerns were electrical sockets – which due to legislation do not pose a significant threat to young children – with almost one in five mums feeling their child was at risk of being hurt. In contrast, only one in 12 worried about hair straighteners.

Katrina Phillips, Chief Executive of the Child Accident Prevention Trust, says: “With the rapid pace of modern life and the speed at which children develop, it can be a challenge for parents to stay one step ahead in preventing serious accidents.

“It’s often the small changes that make all the difference. The trick is to make them a habit, like putting your straighteners in the same place out of young children’s reach. That way you’ll feel less like you need eyes in the back of your head. Child Safety Week helps alert parents to these changes and the simple steps they can take to make their homes safer for children”.

Less common but potentially serious home accidents highlighted in the NetMums survey included eating detergent capsules and getting tangled in blind cords. At least one child every year dies from blind cord strangulation.

Siobhan Freegard, Founder of NetMums, says: “All children suffer bumps and knocks, they’re part of growing up and often as a mum your attention is grabbed by more obvious dangers, like roads for example. But increasingly we’re seeing mums highlighting accidents occurring in the home in ways they just haven’t expected, and warning other mums of the risks. Once mums are aware of an issue they focus their attention to prevent it.”

To find out more about child safety, including advice and information on how to make your home safe, visit www.childsafetyweek.org.uk.
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