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5 Home Safety Threats You Might Overlook Some risks to a child may not be obvious You’re a careful parent who steers children away from things that could harm them. But hidden threats lurk in every house — sometimes where you least expect them. For safety’s sake, reinspect your home often. Keep an eye out for not-so-obvious hazards. Here are five of them: 1. Scalding tap water “It is common for a home’s water heater to be set above 170 degrees, and this can cause a scald burn to a child in seconds,” says Kapi‘olani emergency physician Paul Eakin, M.D. Scalding-hot tap water causes 3,800 injuries and more than 30 deaths a year. Many victims are young kids. Solution: Set your hot water heater to 120 degrees. Check a child’s bath water with a thermometer; aim for 100 degrees. 2. Unstable furniture Each year, thousands of young kids are badly injured — and some die — when large TVs and heavy furniture tip over on them. Often, the victims were leaning on the furniture, climbing it, or pulling themselves up on it. Solution: Double-check the stability of large furniture. Anchor bookcases, shelves, or bureaus to the wall. Get rid of items that may tempt kids to climb. 3. Window blinds Hundreds of children have been strangled to death after getting tangled up in cords or chains on window blinds. Window coverings sold before 2001 pose the most danger. Solution: Fix older window coverings (see www.windowcoverings.org) or replace them with safer blinds. Move cribs, beds, and other furniture away from windows. Paul Eakin, M.D. 4. Poorly stored chemicals Each year, more than a million children younger than 6 are poisoned by accident — and 30 die. Many poisons are found in the garage. There, “parents can unknowingly put their kids at risk by storing gasoline, lighter fluid, or other chemicals in old soda bottles or cans,” Dr. Eakin says. Kids drink the liquid, with tragic results. Solution: Store harmful chemicals in their original, labeled containers — safely out of reach. 5. Home trampolines Backyard trampolines send nearly 248,000 people younger than 20 to doctors and emergency rooms each year. Injuries range from sprains, broken bones, and cuts to neck and spinal cord injuries, paralysis, and even death. Solution: Avoid use of home trampolines. In gym classes or competitive sports, use a trampoline only with strict adult guidance and supervision. More Safety Tips To learn more about keeping your child safe, visit Safe Kids Worldwide at www.safekids.org. 24-Hour Pediatric Emergency Care Kapi‘olani’s emergency room is staffed with the only pediatric emergency team in the state. Our specially trained physicians and staff are ready to treat a variety of illnesses and injuries.