NEWS - Kidsafe NSW

NEWS
NSW
EDITION
December
2011
Seasons Greetings!
It's a most wonderful time of the year — to gather with
friends and family, to eat lots of good food, to decorate,
and to exchange presents and good will. It's also a time
to be very conscious of any potential safety hazards
that may result from festive activities such as:
fire and electrical safety associated with
Christmas lights,
candles and other items that have flames or
heat should only be used by adults and with
caution,
decorations that are sharp or breakable,
trimmings with small removable parts out of the
reach of children to avoid the child swallowing
or inhaling small pieces,
trimmings that resemble lollies or food.
Remember, the under 5‘s are very fast and curious!
From the Team at Kidsafe NSW we wish
you great cheer and joy over the festive
season. May you have a prosperous and
safe 2012!
In This Issue
Season‘s Greetings! Page 1 Dogs and Kids
Page 5
A Message from the Executive Officer Page 2 National Kidsafe Day 2011
Page 5
Farewell Leonie! Page 2 Keeping Our Children Safe
Page 6
Second Hand Goods, Product Alerts Page 3 Kids in Cars, Holiday Safety Bunk Beds
Page 6
Six Simple Tips to Maintain Your Pool Page 4 Foam Mats, Coin sized batteries can be dangerous Page 7
Inflatable Pools Need Fences Too Page 4 For the Kids
Page 8
Page 1

Kidsafe Campaigner
Farewell to a great Kidsafe Campaigner -
Leonie Forsyth
The time has come to farewell Leonie Forsyth who has
been associated with Kidsafe for almost 20 years, in
her own words ‗it has been a labor of love‘ to advocate
for child safety in the Hunter region.
She has worked tirelessly ‗on behalf of the children of
our community, standing up for those who have no
voice of their own.‘ Leonie believes that it has been an
honor and a privilege to help parents, carers and
grandparents make a better environment for their
children.
Leonie leaves Kidsafe Hunter strong and in a position
to continue to grow and embrace the future - her
passion for injury prevention is contagious!
On behalf of the staff, volunteers,
t h e H u n t e r R e g i o n a l
Sub-Committee and Council
Members of Kidsafe NSW sincere
thanks to Leonie, (ably supported
by her husband Walter) for establishing
such a high profile in the
Hunter and for contributing nationally
to Kidsafe‘s mission to ‗make a
safer world for kids.‘
Kidsafe NSW
Kidsafe House, Hainsworth Street
WESTMEAD NSW 2145
Postal Address
c/o The Children‘s Hospital at Westmead
Locked Bag 4001
Westmead NSW 2145
Phone: 02 9845 0890 Fax: 02 9845 0895
Email: kidsafe@health.nsw.gov.au
Website: kidsafensw.org
Kidsafe Hunter
Shop 5, Pacific Hwy Arcade, Hilltop Plaza
Charlestown NSW 2290
PH: 0249424488 Fax: 02 4942 4499
Email: kidsafe@kidsafehunter.com
Website: kidsafehunter.com
A Message from the
Executive Officer
Dear Readers,
You‘ll notice a distinct ‗summer‘ flavour
about this Newsletter! Families are
gearing up for ‗fun in the sun‘ and planning holiday
breaks over the festive season.
At Kidsafe we are beginning to receive requests for
safety information about holidaying with children, water
safety, recreation and creative play options for children
of all ages. Therefore we have endeavoured to address
some of the issues in this edition. If there is something
that you would like information about or you would like
one of our safety officers to follow up for you, please
don‘t hesitate to email us at kidsafe@health.nsw.gov.au
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the
wonderful staff at Kidsafe NSW located at the
Westmead and Charlestown offices and to
acknowledge the great support provided by the NSW
Council and the Hunter Regional Sub-Committee. The
work of Kidsafe is directed by a team of highly qualified
paediatric clinicians, researchers, educators and
industry experts and I would like to acknowledge their
support and commitment which they offer in addition to
their very valuable work of providing ‗a safer world for
kids.‘
Lastly, the extension to the Kidsafe Safety
Demonstration House at Westmead has been
completed! Thanks must go to our Project Manager Kay
Lockhart for her diligence and leadership and to the
NSW Government‘s Community Building Partnership
Program for the funds. See
panel overleaf for list of our
major sponsors and
supporters.
On behalf of Kidsafe NSW,
Season’s Greetings
Christine Erskine
SUPPORT KIDSAFE NSW
You can support Kidsafe NSW in a number of ways.
Your contribution will assist us to continue many of our
community education and research programs and to
begin new initiatives.
For more information contact the Kidsafe NSW office on
02 98450890.
Page 2

Second Hand Goods
The arrival of a baby can be a big expense and many
parents may purchase items such as cots, change
tables, prams and car seats second hand as a way of
reducing costs.
Before buying second hand goods it is recommended
to check that the item meets current safety standards.
Most new products are required to meet safety
standards and are clearly labelled.
Standards are being continually updated so products
which may have been purchased and thought safe a
couple of years ago may now be considered a danger
or hazardous to children.
Furthermore, when buying second hand goods there
are often no instructions on how to use and maintain
the product and no warranties which mean if there is a
fault the manufacturer will not fix it.
With a second hand product you may not be aware of
its history this is particularly important with car
restraints that may have been involved in a car
accident and may be damaged and be very unsafe.
Products such as cots and prams must meet mandatory
safety standards. It is important to ensure that your child
is provided with the safest products available.
Most old cot designs are now considered unsafe and do
not meet safety standards.
New prams have also been designed to ensure your
child‘s fingers, arms, legs, head and body won‘t be
trapped. They also have additional features such as five
point harnesses and head barriers so your child cannot
fall out.
So if you are considering buying second hand double
check what you are actually buying!
For more information visit: productsafety.gov.au
Product Alerts
Bean Bag Safety
Only buy bean bags and bean
bag fillings that meet the
Australian Standard
Keep beans, bag covers and bean bag refills out
of reach if children
Never leave children alone when playing with a
bean bag
Check bean bags for sturdy seams that stop
beads from leaking out
Extension to Kidsafe House 2011
Kidsafe NSW was able extend the Demonstration Safety
House to include a meeting/training room. Thanks to the
generous support from the following organisations and
businesses:
Keeping baby safe - now available as an eBook
The Keeping baby safe booklet
provides some easy steps to
ensure your baby remains safe in
your home. It lists common
dangers and how you can identify
and remove potential hazards. The
booklet shows you what to look for
when purchasing infant and
nursery products, as well as tips
on how to use these products
safely.
The guide is aimed at expectant parents, and parents
and carers of children under five years old.
The Keeping baby safe booklet is available
electronically and in print at productsafety.gov.au
Page 3

Six Simple Tips to Maintain Your Pool
As a pool owner you are
responsible for ensuring the
safety of children in your
home and neighbourhood.
Summer is the time when
more people are enjoying their
swimming pools and tragically
this is when more drowning
incidents occur.
One of the main reasons for children drowning in pools
is because of faulty pool fencing. Protect children by
checking the swimming pool fence for faults,
particularly in the months leading up to summer.
The Children‘s Hospital at Westmead recommends you
use the following tips to maintain your pool fence:
Regularly check that the gate self-closes and
self-latches
Regularly check and adjust the latching device as
needed to ensure that they are operating
correctly and have not been affected by the
ground, fence or latch movement.
Regularly check fencing panels for correct gaps,
rust , wear and tear
Regularly check all fence
bolts, screws and fasteners
to make sure they are tight
and in good order. Any
loose bolts, screws and
fasteners should be
tightened or replaced.
Regularly replace springs
and regularly spray self-closing gate hinges, locks
and latches with lubricating oil or silicone to help
prevent many of the faults relating to self-closing
and self-latching gates
Make sure trees, shrubs, BBQ‘s, pot plants, toys,
ladders, chairs and other objects are not within the
90cm non-climbable zone on the fence and are
stored as far away from the fence as possible
For further information about pool fencing, the common
faults and how to check its safety, view the Protect
Your Pool, Protect Your Kids online video or
download the inspection checklist at:
www.kidshealth.chw.edu.au/projects/drowning -
prevention/swimming-pool-fencing
Inflatable Pools Need Fences Too!
Inflatable swimming pools are popular due to their easy set-up and low
cost. There are significant dangers that all pool owners should be aware
of.
Inflatable pools can be more risky than pools that have been built. This
is because most of these pools do not have fences and some are not
able to be emptied after use due to their size. Without fences, children
have easy access to the water in the pool, placing them at increased
risk of drowning.
From 1 July 2009 to 30 June 2010, 33 children under five years of age
drowned in Australia. For every drowning death in NSW, a further 4-5
children were hospitalised as a result of near drowning in 2008-09.
Children under five years of age are most at risk of drowning, compared
to all other age groups, with about 50% of drowning deaths occurring in
swimming pools.*
Currently, no Australian data on drowning in inflatable pools exists,
however in America, rates of drowning in inflatable and portable pools
has increased over the years from nine cases in 2004 to 17 cases in
2005 and 21 cases in 2006.
By law, all inflatable or portable swimming pools that are capable of
being filled to 300mm of water or more require a four-sided fence.
Fencing improves the safety of your children and reduce the risk of
drowning.
*For references and more information on safe pool fencing visit
www.kidshealth.chw.edu.au/projects/drowning-prevention/swimming-pool-fencing
Page 4

Dogs and Kids
Safety tips include:
Animals, particularly dogs can provide wonderful
experiences for children and are part of many people‘s
lives. Children can come into contact with dogs as part
of their family, at friend‘s or relative‘s places or in public
places such as parks or recreation areas.
Children under the age of five are most at risk of dog
bite injuries and are most frequently bitten by their own
family dog or by a friend‘s dog. In NSW from January to
September 2011 there were 488 dog attacks on
children reported to local councils.* Teaching children
how to interact properly with dogs can reduce the risk
of dog bites.
Supervise children closely
during play around dogs
Separate when you are
unable to supervise dogs
and children
Teach children to leave a
dog alone when sleeping,
eating or gnawing a bone
Teach children and your
dog to be gentle with each
other and to interact safely
The Royal Children‘s Hospital in Melbourne has
produced the dogs ‘n’ kids Information Resource Kit
which contains comprehensive information to reduce
the incidence and severity of dog bites to children.
For more information visit rch.org.au/safetycentre
*From dog attack incidents reported by all
councils to NSW Office of Local Government
from January to September 2011
National Kidsafe Day 2011
National Kidsafe Day was held on Tuesday 25th October and was dedicated to
reducing road related injuries to children in Australia in line with the World Health
Organisation‘s ‗Decade of Action for Road Safety‘.
Kidsafe presented the 2011 National Kidsafe Day Awards, supported by The
Leycester Meares Bequest, to recognise road safety champions in each State/
Territory in a number of categories.
Vicki Milne from Kidsafe NSW presents
the Kidsafe Business Award to Mel
Ellis, Midson Road Child Care Centre.
Llynda Nairn (left) receives the Local
Champion Award presented by Tamara
Blackmore (centre) and Leonie Forsyth
(right) from Kidsafe NSW Hunter office.
In NSW, the Kidsafe Business Award was awarded
to the Midson Road Child Care Centre which has
developed a comprehensive road safety education
program involving children, parents, carers,
grandparents and staff. As a community they are
very proactive and believe that the safety
messages trickle through to family and friends so
that everyone is looking out for children!
The Local Champion Award was awarded to
Llynda Nairn who is based in the Hunter Region
of NSW. As a seasoned performer, Llynda
engages primary school students through juggling,
comedy and play acting in order to promote safety
on and around roads. She has a very novel and
entertaining approach!
We also acknowledge the great effort of Denistone
East Primary School who held a mufti day in
support of National Kidsafe Day with monies raised
going to Kidsafe NSW.
Page 5

Keeping Our Children Safe
The NSW Government has launched an education
campaign to protect children from avoidable death and
injury.
Each year 8000 children are admitted to hospital
because of falls, 50 of which are from windows and
balconies. The Government has announced a new
campaign which will see 40,000 brochures and posters
distributed across the state. This material includes
simple tips to avoid injury and save lives:
The Fair Trading Minister, Anthony Roberts has
indicated that posters will be sent directly to all
licensed property and strata managers in NSW so they
can provide this important information to landlords,
rental tenants, strata owners corporations and strata
residents.
For more information visit:
health.nsw.gov.au/childsafety
kidsafensw.org
Do fix windows open at no more than 10cm or fit
secure window guards
Do keep furniture and other things children can
climb on away from windows and balcony edges
Do lock doors and windows when the balcony is
not being used
Always supervise your child closely
Kids in Cars
Holiday Safety Bunk Beds
Recent media reports have
highlighted the need for
parents and carers to be
aware of the dangers of
leaving children unattended
in cars.
Each year the NRMA rescues on average 2,000
unattended children from cars. Emergency services also
rescue many children.
The temperature inside a car can reach dangerously
high levels in just a few minutes. As the temperature
increases, the child can develop heat stress and start to
dehydrate. Young children are more sensitive to heat
than older children and adults. This can put them at
greater risk as their body temperature can reach
dangerous high levels much sooner.
What should parents and carers do
If you must leave the car, even to run a quick
errand - take the children with you.
Never use the car as a substitute ‗babysitter‘.
Never leave children in a car without adult
supervision for any length of time, not even a
minute!
Lock cars and secure keys when at home to
prevent children playing inside the car.
Make ‘look before you leave’ a routine whenever
you get out of the car.
For the Kids in Cars brochure contact Kidsafe NSW on
02 9845 0890 or visit our website kidsafensw.org
An Australian Standards handbook for bunk bed safety is
now available to the holiday accommodation industry.
It‘s important for businesses to be aware of the safety
standards and what‘s required of them. The handbook is
the latest step in the ongoing campaign to educate
businesses and prevent injuries.
For a copy of the handbook visit saiglobal.com
Whether your children use bunk beds every day or just
on holidays, there are some simple rules you can follow
to help protect them:
never allow children to play on or around bunk beds
never allow a child under nine to use the top bunk
do not use the top bunk if it has no rails – put the
mattress on the floor. Don‘t modify bunks in any way.
before making a holiday booking, check with the
renting agency or letting agent whether bunk beds
meet the latest standards
check ladders are properly attached and provide safe
access to and from the top bunk
familiarise yourself with the mandatory safety
standard – if you have an old bunk that does not meet
the standards get rid of it and get a new one that
does.
Accommodation providers are
asked to adopt the safety
r e q u i r e m e n t s a n d r i s k
management practices outlined in
the handbook.
Page 6

Foam Mats
Testing of foam play mats finds no
safety risk to children
Recent testing of foam play mats and toys for the
chemical formamide has found no evidence that these
products present any risk to children.
The ACCC and some state/territory consumer product
safety agencies tested a total of 16 ethylene vinyl
acetate (EVA) foam products.
Half of the products tested released no measureable
amount of formamide, and where formamide was
measured, the amounts released were very small.
Based on the actual testing, it was concluded that a
child would need to mouth for 20 minutes, or ingest, at
least 4.17 square metres of typical foam play mat
every day over their entire life to approach a level of
exposure to formamide which might raise health
concerns.
The potential exposure of children to formamide from
these products was calculated and compared to the
internationally recognised lowest-observable-adverseeffect-level
cited in Environment/Health Canada‘s
Screening Assessment for the Challenge: Formamide.
While the most contact children
have with these products is
through their skin, the exposure
estimate also considered a worst
case scenario, where children
might mouth or ingest the foam.
Foam play mats and toys
typically available in Australia do
not expose children to unsafe
amounts of formamide and these
products are safe for their
intended purpose.
Source: Product Safety Australia—
productsafety.gov.au
Coin Sized Batteries Can Be Hazardous
Electronic devices are a part of daily life. And they‘re
getting smaller, slimmer and sleeker. But inside the
battery compartment of mini remote controls, small
calculators, watches, flameless candles, singing
greeting cards and other electronics, may be a very
powerful coin-sized button battery.
When swallowed, these batteries can get stuck in the
throat and cause severe burns. Acid can also leak
which can cause tissue damage.
Children under 4 years are at the greatest risk. Many
coin-sized button batteries can appear ―invisible‖ to
parents because devices come with the batteries already
installed.
If a coin-sized button battery is swallowed, you should
take your child to the emergency department
immediately and advise doctors and nurses that it might
be a coin sized button battery.
For more information visit: www.productsafety.gov.au/
content/index.phtml/itemId/985278
To keep your children safe:
Make sure there are no loose batteries within a
child‘s reach.
Ensure the cover of any devices which have these
batteries are secured and the child is unable to
remove it.
Look in your home for any items that may contain
coin-sized button batteries.
Place devices out of sight and out of reach of small
children.
Keep loose or spare batteries locked away.
Don‘t throw
lithium batteries in
the bin. Keep
them safely out of
reach of children
before disposing
them via a safe
environment
disposal system.
Page 7

For the Kids
HOLIDAY TIME
C P M X K F Y F B Z
J H M I A I T R E J
T Z R M C F E I A T
L N I I O D F E C C
M L G O S L A N H Y
Y X D P V T S D U O
S T H G I L M S G G
N L O N U F U A V C
D Q Y K U K R J S Q
S A N T A U S N N M
SANTA
FUN
FAMILY
FRIENDS
SAFETY
FOOD
LIGHTS
CHRISTMAS
BEACH
Kidd Safe says…
Find the words
SPOT THE
HAZARDS…
...in the bath
room
Kidsafe NSW is supported by:
Page 8