Safety In The Home (3rdEd , 1965)

[Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] We laugh at accidents in a comedy because we know they are not real. [Applause] In real life, things are very different. These patients are the lucky ones. They survived the accidents in which they were involved. How can we prevent accidents? Where do most of them occur? Do most accidents occur where people know they are doing dangerous work? Or where people feel safe? Here or here? Here or here? The answer is that more accidents occur at home where people feel safe than anywhere else. But why? Men and women who work at dangerous jobs take precautions to avoid accidents. Signs, special clothing, guard rails, and a habit of thinking ahead all are designed to prevent accidents. What can we do about accidents at home? Let's start with a very simple thing like walking into your own home. How could that be dangerous? What was the danger here? Was it the little brother or the toy? It was really neither. The danger was that Bill didn't look ahead or think ahead. Here's a nice clean floor. Nothing on it looks dangerous unless someone runs and slips. There was a choice to be made here. To walk or run in the house. The answer, there's more room for running outside and it's usually less slippery out there. Joe is usually hungry when he gets home from school, so he prepares himself a snack. When he's finished, he finds himself with a choice to make. Should he leave the knife where it is or put it away? When a knife is left lying around, all sorts of unpleasant things can happen. Would it have been safer if Joe had tossed the knife into the sink? A serious cut can easily be the result. That's why when faced with this choice, Joe makes a series of common sense decisions. He picks up the knife by the handle, carries it with the tip of the blade away from him, washes the knife with a cloth while holding the sharp edge away from him, and dries it the same way with a thick cloth and the cutting edge away. Finally, Joe puts the knife away in a safe place. Helping in the kitchen is one of Susan's household chores. Because there's a baby gate between the kitchen and the rest of the house, she has a choice to make whenever she goes in or out. To close and lock the gate behind her, or leave it open. Which do you think she'll do? If the gate is left open, a few seconds is all her little brother needs to get into the kitchen and very likely into trouble. You know what Susan will decide to [Applause] do. Bill has a problem. He wants his fishing rod, but he can't reach it. It would be much easier and safer to get a ladder. Looks like the ladder's too short. Better get another ladder. [Music] Thinking ahead in this case means choosing the right ladder for the job and getting the fishing rod with ease. It seems clear now that safety in the home is largely a matter of choice. It's a little like a game of checkers. Each player thinks ahead and tries his best to make decisions that will help him win the game. Sometimes mistakes are made. But a wise player learns from his mistakes. In the matter of safety, we are faced with choices, decisions to be made. Let's look at a few such choices and let you make the decisions. There are at least two ways of sitting in a chair. One is like this. The other is like this. Which way is safer? The chair up or the chair down? What do you say to avoid this? The correct answer is chair down. Bill has finished taking a bath. The choice, empty the tub now or later. You were right if you said empty the tub now. It could be dangerous. Susan is taking her winter clothes out of storage. She has a choice to make. Leave the mothballs out or put them away. You are right. She should put them away in a high safe place especially set aside for all household items that are poisonous. Joe has a bothersome cold. His mother is out shopping. His father is at work. The medicine cabinet is filled with bottles. What should he do? Wait for his mother to return or pick out the most likely looking bottle and take the medicine. [Music] Taking medicine without being absolutely sure of what you are taking can be very dangerous. Joe decides to wait until his mother returns. But did you notice something else? The medicines were on the first shelf of the cabinet. Remember, Joe has a little brother. Where should the medicines be kept? Bill, dinner. Before going to dinner, Bill has some choices to make. Should he turn off the transformer power switch or pull the plug from the wall or both? You probably made the same wise decision that Bill does. First, he turns off the transformer power switch. Then, he pulls the plug. And did you notice how he pulled it? He took hold of the plug itself, not the cord. An electric cord that's constantly being tugged becomes cracked and worn. Sooner or later, the wires become exposed, and two things can happen. this or this. A cord that is properly handled will remain safe for a long time. Bill's father has a new drill press in his workshop. It looks fascinating. Should Bill try it out or wait for his father to show him how to operate [Music] it. It's much safer and easier to receive instructions before using the new tool. After seeing only some of the things that can happen in your own home, you may feel that the only safe way to live is like this in straight jackets. But you know that's not true. You have another choice. You can do all the things you want to do and have the fun of doing them as long as you think ahead and when faced with a choice, make a decision for safety. [Music] Yeah. [Applause]