Safety during summer holidays

May 22, 2025

Dear Parents!

Holidays are ahead – a wonderful time that every child eagerly awaits. These are glorious days when there is no school and, consequently, no urgent need to wake up strictly at six to an alarm clock and get things done. But, strangely enough, during the holidays, there are still things to take care of – safety!

The problem of child injuries is a problem that cannot be solved overnight and remains relevant at all times. Child injuries are an important issue in modern society, directly related to saving children's lives, so the best solution to prevent them is prophylaxis.

Knowing the most common causes of injuries and accidents, parents must create a safe environment for the child, explain the risks to health that injuries pose, and teach them measures to prevent them.

In our country, facts of child deaths and injuries are recorded annually. The statistics cannot leave any adult indifferent: over 100 children die annually from external causes, and about 150 thousand children and adolescents under 18 years of age sustain injuries of varying severity. Poisoning, swallowing foreign objects, falling out of windows, fires, road traffic accidents – this is far from a complete list of situations that can lead to tragedy.

According to statistics, in 2024, 91 fires occurred in the republic due to children's mischief with fire. 10 children died in fires, 31 children were injured, and 22 drowned.

Since the beginning of the current year, 1 child has died in fires in the republic, and 3 have drowned.

Parents play a significant role in preventing all tragedies. First, let's analyze the main causes that can lead to injuries:

1. Burns of any etiology: open flame, boiling water, steam, hot tap water, hot objects, focusing of sun rays, when using flammable liquids, due to ignition from an open candle flame, hot food on the table, experiments.

with open flames (schoolchildren are more often affected: adding gasoline to a bonfire, smoking near a gasoline canister), the use of firecrackers, etc.

2. Bruises, fractures, concussions: falls
from a height (from a window, jumping from a great height), unrestrained running
during breaks and in stairwells (hitting a radiator), glazed doors, a broken or damaged step (leading to slipping,
which can even result in a spinal fracture) and others.

3. Foreign bodies entering the respiratory tract: food products (nuts, bones, seeds), household items (buttons, coins, keys, jewelry, pencils, toy parts), etc.

4. Water-related injuries: even a child who can swim near water without adult supervision can drown due to confusion. Due to inexperience, a child can be carried away by the current on an ice floe, thrown onto a rock by the surf, pulled into an abyss or whirlpool, get under the hull or propeller of a moving vessel, fall into an ice hole, experience hypothermia, muscle spasms, or sunstroke.

5. Poisoning with poisons
(for example, potassium permanganate – deadly; acetic essence, hydrochloric acid, brake fluid
and other liquid poisonous substances), which for some reason (adult negligence) were easily accessible. Almost all poisonings are received by children at home. Here, it is also necessary to mention houseplants, many of which can be poisonous.

6. Playground, construction sites, quarries: during outdoor games, many injuries occur due to an unfortunate choice of location – there is a high risk of injury from falling or hitting something. The child should be explained that they should not play where there are pits, stakes, wires, broken glass, nails, etc. Often, children choose empty pits and abandoned quarries for games. But sand is very dangerous, as the ground collapses instantly, and there is practically no possibility of getting out from under the rubble.

7. Children's mischief with fire: the consequence of most fires occurring in houses and apartments is children's mischief with fire. Often, such fires occur due to children's lack of skills in handling fire safely and insufficient adult supervision of their behavior.

Always remind children how to behave during holidays, as the number of injuries increases during this period.

Protecting the life and health of children is the primary responsibility of adults.

Please do everything possible to ensure that your children's free time is not overshadowed.

Recommendations for parents:

ensure that your children know the phone numbers for the police, ambulance, and fire department, as well as your address.

Rehearse how to speak with the operator so that your child does not get confused at a critical moment.

always know where your children are, and let them always know where you are.

provide examples, talk about dangers, explain and remind about safety;

it doesn't matter how old your child is, what matters is what you have done to teach your child safe behavior;

always remind children of safety rules before the start of holidays, especially summer holidays, as the number of injuries increases during this period.

REMEMBER!

THE CORRECTNESS OF YOUR ACTIONS

AND YOUR CHILDREN'S ACTIONS WILL HELP PREVENT EMERGENCIES AND PROTECT

YOUR CHILD'S LIFE AND HEALTH!