Childhood Accidents - IELTS Listening Answers & Explanations

I'm sure you are all aware that babies, infants and children are exposed to an enormous number of potentially serious accidents all the time. Accidents where vehicles are involved are always awful but particularly so when children are injured. Now, of course, most should never happen but, unfortunately, the casualty lists increase every year. It still surprises me that so many youngsters fall from shopping carts, for example. With small children, however, the highest proportion of accidents will occur inside the house or in the back yard. Many of the risks are obvious, but are often ill-considered—even in well-organised homes. Older children are exposed to a greater number, for they are also open to the hazards of the adult world. This should be kept well in mind by parents.

Education is vital. There are some very good television shows which do the job quite well but children should be educated from the moment they learn to crawl and so I'd say the best teachers are parents who can instil safety habits in the responsive minds of their children by constant repetition. In this way, they will gradually learn to avoid the danger zones. Of course, if they go to pre-school, there'll be fewer hazards there but I'm going to cover a few of the important household areas now.

Firstly, kitchen hazards—the family kitchen is actually no place for a child although children may spend a lot of time there with their mothers. All I can say is: never leave saucepans on stoves with their handles jutting out—it's easy for little hands to seize hold of them and adults can even catch themselves on them too. Scalding is a serious issue for grown-ups and children alike.

If you are transporting dangerous items about the kitchen, always look to see where children are standing. Hot items are naturally high risk. Cooking with an infant at your feet can be very dangerous. Be careful with sharp and heavy objects as well. And not the least of dangers is treading on the child—or their hands or feet at any rate!

Let's move on to poisoning now. An amazing number of household items are potentially lethal to babies but are often carelessly left around. Bleach, drain cleaner and similar items should be kept out of reach of infants, who have no idea of their risks. And a word of warning here: never re-use juice bottles as containers for lethal fluids and never leave these items within access of infants.

Playground equipment deserves a mention, too—even in the most skilfully designed playground, accidents occur. We all enjoy the seesaws but do make sure that they are evenly balanced. Personally, I don't understand the attraction of the roundabout—it makes me feel sick to my stomach but the little ones enjoy the ride. Swings are great fun but children just don't understand the danger of a swing suddenly coming back and striking a standing child—the results are often big bruises or even broken bones. Fractured skulls are the worst playground injuries I've seen and these are common when young ones fall from a height such as the top of a climbing frame. I think the slides are much safer. Whatever your preference, though, be sure to keep a watchful eye on your children in the playground.

We're up to bath-time now...you know that you should never leave a baby alone in a bath because it's possible for babies to drown in a few centimetres of water; but how many of you have been tempted to go and grab the phone when it rings? My advice to you is to let it ring! And remember when you're filling the bath to put cold water in before the hot to prevent severe scalding in case baby climbs in before it's ready.

Moving on to electrical dangers...first of all, power points. These have a fascination for toddlers and they'll shove things into the holes like hairpins, nails, screwdrivers—you name it. Points should always be fitted with protective plugs to prevent this. Teach children to respect all electrical appliances—because they are all potential hazards.

Do I need to mention cigarettes? Unfortunately, I still see parents smoking in spaces where their children have to inhale the cigarette smoke—we all know the dangers of second-hand smoke...But even leaving a packet of cigarettes within reach is dangerous because eating just one cigarette may poison a small child. If quitting the habit is too difficult, please ensure all tobacco products are kept out of reach and smoke outside.

Lastly, given our cold winters, I need to warn you about heating systems. Open fires and heaters must be covered by protective devices. Even radiators and other sources of heat—which are attractive to children—can cause a nasty burn on sensitive young skin. Remember, there is never a good time to leave infants by themselves in a room where there is an unprotected source of heat.