Health and Safety
Safety at Home
Help your baby sleep safely every time sleep begins by following the ABCs of Safe Sleep.
Every year, children are hurt by dangers found in and around the home. The Consumer Product Safety Commission offers safety tips and recommends child-safety devices that can help prevent these injuries.
Home fires can life-changing for families. Ready.gov offers helpful information on how to prevent home fires, how to get out safely if one happens, and what to do afterward to recover.
Fall Prevention for Children
Most falls among children and teens happen at home. The most common causes are slipping, tripping, falling from high places, and falling down stairs.
Fall Prevention for Adults
A simple accident—like tripping on a rug or slipping on a wet floor—can have a serious impact on your life. More than one in four adults age 65 and older experiences a fall each year. The National Institute for Aging offers helpful tips to reduce your risk and prevent falls.
Poisoning Prevention
Upstate New York Poison Center: 1-800-222-1222
Accidental swallowing of cannabis/marijuana edibles by young children is steadily increasing. If you think a child has eaten a cannabis product, call the Poison Center (1-800-222-1222) right away–don’t wait for symptoms to appear.
Possible symptoms may include:
- Drowsiness or extreme sleepiness
- Nausea or vomiting
- Trouble walking or breathing
Store cannabis safely:
- Keep products up high, out of sight and reach of children
- Keep them in their original packaging or keep labels until they are used up
- Lock them away securely
Treat cannabis the same way you would any medication–store it safely to protect kids.
Source: Upstate New York Poison Center
Medicine can help you feel better when you’re sick, but it’s important to use it safely. If a child or adult accidentally takes a medication, call the Poison Center right away at 1-800-222-1222.
Follow the 5 Rights of Safe Medicine Use:
- Right PERSON: Only take medicine prescribed to you. Never share your medicine with others.
- Right DOSE: Read the label and follow the directions exactly. Don’t take more than recommended or take it more often.
- Right MEDICINE: Turn on lights and use glasses if needed so you can double-check you’re taking the correct medicine. Talk with your healthcare provider before starting anything new, including over-the-counter and herbal products.
- Right TIME: Take your medicine at the right time. Use reminders if that helps.
- Right WAY: Use the measuring device that comes with the medicine–never use a kitchen spoon.
Store Medications Safely:
- Keep all medicines up high and out of sight and reach of children and pets.
- Store medicines in their original bottles or packaging.
- Use a lock box for added safety.
When you call the Poison Center, they will ask for:
- The person’s age and weight
- The name of the medicine
- How much was taken
- The time the poisoning happened
- Any symptoms the person is having
Answer these questions as well as you can. If you’re told to go to the emergency department, try to bring the medicine with you.
Source: Upstate New York Poison Center
Button batteries can cause serious injury if they are swallowed, inhaled, or inserted into the body. If you think a child or adult has swallowed a button battery, go to the nearest emergency room immediately. These batteries can leak chemicals or create an electrical current that causes internal burns–every minute matters.
Tips to help keep kids safe:
- Check your home for devices that use button batteries
- Make sure battery compartments are secured with a screw
- Store both spare and used batteries up high, out of sight and out of reach of children
- Supervise children when they play with battery-powered toys and devices
- Dispose of used batteries right away in designated drop-off bins (often found at grocery store entrances). If you need to store used button batteries before disposal, cover both side with non-conductive tape, such as electrical tape.
Carbon monoxide (CO) is often called the “invisible killer” because you can’t see it or smell it, and it can be deadly. If you think someone has CO poisoning, get them outside to fresh air right away and call 9-1-1.
Low to moderate CO exposure may cause:
- Headache
- Fatigue
- Shortness of breath
- Nausea
- Dizziness
High exposure can cause:
- Confusion
- Vomiting
- Loss of coordination
- Loss of consciousness
- Death
Safety Tips:
- Install CO alarms on every level of your home and outside all sleeping areas.
- Have your heating system, chimney, and vents inspected and serviced every year.
- Never use portable generators indoors or in garages–even if doors and windows are open. Keep them at least 20 feet from your home with the exhaust facing away.
- Never use grills indoors, including in garages.
- Never use a gas range or oven to heat your home.
- Open the fireplace damper before starting a fire and keep it open until the ashes are completely cooled.
Children and pregnant women are the highest risk for lead poisoning, especially in older homes with chipping, flaking, or peeling paint. Even small amounts of lead in a child’s blood can affect their growth, learning, and development.
Resources:
Safety in the Community
A bicycle is often the first vehicle many of us learn to ride–usually when we’re kids!. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration offers helpful tips and videos to help you stay safe every time you ride.
At some point each day, we’re all pedestrians. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration offers tips and videos to help you stay safe when walking.
Swimming is a fun and healthy activity. Follow these important water safety tips from the New York State Department of Health to prevent injuries and illnesses.
If you find used needles or drug supplies, do not touch them with your bare hands or throw them in regular trash. Follow these steps to dispose of them properly:
- Wear gloves and use tongs or pliers to pick up the item. Place it needle-first into a strong plastic container, such as a laundry detergent bottle.
- Close the lid and seal it tightly with heavy-duty tape, like duct tape. Label the container with “Warning: Sharps”
- Put the sealed container in the trash, or take it to a local disposal site near you.