OCCUSAFE UPDATE
Monthly Round Up of Important Ideas and Standards in
Industrial Hygiene and Safety
December 2017
IN THIS ISSUE: Medicine Poisonings of Children During Christmas
Every eight minutes a child is admitted to an Emergency Room due to poisoning from medicine. In one study, 43 percent of these visits were from young children improperly ingesting medicines. To a child pills can be attractive to eat since they may look like candy. This problem is even greater during Christmas because relatives and friends who stay over for the Holidays may not take the same precautions as parents who are with children all the time. This is also true of children who visit grandparents who may take multiple medicines and need easy access as part of their health maintenance.
Some of the medications that can be especially harmful to children include heart medications, pain relievers, anti-depressants, and diabetes preparations. Over the counter medicines are also a concern, since they can be harmful to toddlers and young children. Visitors may think they are harmless and my not take the same precautions as with prescription medications.
Here are some tips for you and your visitors
- Medications should be locked up and out of reach.
- Never leave medicine out on the counter or where children can find them such as in a bedside drawer, handbag, or pocket.
- Avoid taking medicines in front of small children. They like to do what their parents do.
- Get child resistant caps for prescription and over the counter medications. Make sure to replace the cap when done.
- Ask visitors to take the same steps to protect children.
- Make sure luggage and purses are not left unattended.
This newsletter is published monthly by OccuSafe Industrial Hygiene & Safety Services, Inc. Feel free to forward it to friends and colleagues.
Comments are closed.