14. Dangers in and near a House

Sad stories are not very pleasant to read about, but if we think and talk about them, we may be able to prevent more accidents.

How can fire or hot things be a danger in the house? Matches, of course, are always dangerous in the hands of young children. A little fire on waste land can easily get out of control. A wind comes, sparks are blown on to the roof of a house, and the whole building may be burnt to the ground before you can even call the Fire Brigade. Kerosene lamps, too, can be very dangerous. Quite recently there was a bad accident in a village house. The mosquito-net over a baby's cot was blown against a lamp and caught fire. The bedclothes and even the clothes of the baby were burnt before the fire was discovered.

Long grass and rubbish round a house can also lead to a disastrous fire, as most people know. However, not everybody is careful with such things as celluloid masks and toys; these burn up in a flash if you hold them near a flame.

Young children often reach up to a table to take a saucepan down by the handle. If the saucepan or pot is full of boiling water, you can guess what will happen. Similarly, when a baby's bath is prepared, cold water should be put in first. If any hot water has to be used, this should be put into the bath after the cold water and not before it.

Many fireworks can lead to blindness or other injuries, especially those which are pushed into bamboo sticks. Catapults and wooden spears or swords should be used only by children with sense enough not to injure other people.

Very young children often have to be watched carefully. They put everything they find into their mouths to see whether it can be eaten, sucked, or licked! Medicines have to be put out of their reach. A pill or some ointment which might be harmless for an adult can sometimes kill a baby. Older children have to be careful when drinking from a bottle. Some of them walk about as they drink, tip up the bottle to get the last drop out, then trip over something on the ground. If they are unlucky, they fall in such a way that the broken glass makes a horrible wound in the face or neck.

This is not a complete list of the dangers in and near a house, but it is enough to remind you to be careful.