Bath Safety

Many injuries occur in bathrooms, and most of them involve children and water. According to Dr. Paul at www.drpaul.com, the most common injury to children in bathrooms is caused by scalding hot tap water. The bath water should be checked before the child gets in to make sure it is of an appropriate temperature. Water heaters should also not be set above the maximum of 130 degrees. Parents need to be mindful of bath safety whenever a child will be around water, and the child should never be left unattended in the bathroom. Drowning in the bath tub and in the toilet is also common and again occurs because of lack of parental supervision. It’s not worth it to run to answer the door or the phone; a child can drown quickly in only a few inches of water.

A bath safety plan can be instituted throughout the house by installing bath safety bars, shower safety bars, toilet latches, cabinet latches, and non-slip mats in bath tubs and showers. Baby bath safety should also be included in bath safety. Kitchen sinks may be used in which the infant could fall out of the bath and onto the floor sustaining serious injury. Bath safety should also be extended to hot tub and pool safety. There are safety covers made to fit hot tubs and pools as well as locking gate devices to ensure that a toddler cannot wander off and fall in.

Bath safety applies to everyone in the home. Slipping on the soap in the shower is very common also, which is why we all need to be careful. Getting in and out of the bath tub or shower can also prove to be challenging at times for everyone. Bath mats, rugs, or towels should always be in place so that slipping will not occur on a smooth floor. Safety grab bars are also effective. Bath safety is also important for the elderly. Special safety bath and shower chairs are available for use in the home and make it much easier and safer for the elderly. Bath safety is important for everyone to practice, but especially for the elderly and children. Statistics show that the greatest number of injuries and bath safety issues occur in these two groups. It is very inexpensive to add safety devices to your bathroom to protect everyone in your family. And remember, never leave children alone or unattended if even for just a few moments around water of any kind. It just takes a moment for an irreversible accident to occur.