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CHW 103: Health Across the Lifespan
103.14 Safety and Injury Prevention Across the Lifespan
Car seats, home safety, poison, firearms, water, weather and falls
Your materials
Slides (PowerPoint) Handout (Word)
For instructors
Facilitator guide Printable pre and post tests Quiz (LMS import)
What you will learn
- Explain car seat stages and seat belt fit for children
- Teach home safety: alarms, poison prevention and medicine storage
- Share safe firearm storage and water safety basics without judgment
- Match key injury risks to each stage of life
Start here
Think of an injury in your family or neighborhood. Looking back, what might have prevented it?
Lesson
Car seat stages for children
- Rear-facing seat: From birth, as long as possible, until the seat's height or weight limit.
- Forward-facing seat: With harness and top tether, until the seat's limit, at least age 5.
- Booster seat: Until the seat belt fits, often between ages 9 and 12.
- Seat belt fit: Lap belt across upper thighs, shoulder belt across chest, not neck.
- Back seat to 13: Children ride in the back seat until age 13. Never rear-facing in front.
A safer home
- Smoke alarms: Working smoke alarms in every bedroom, outside sleeping areas and on every level. Test them monthly.
- Carbon monoxide: Battery or battery-backup CO alarms near bedrooms. Never run a generator or grill indoors.
- Poison Help: Call 1-800-222-1222, free and private, 24 hours a day, for any poison question.
- Medicine storage: Keep medicines and cleaners up, away and out of sight, in original containers.
Firearm and water safety
Safe firearm storage
- Store guns unloaded and locked
- Lock ammunition separately
- Hidden is not the same as safe
- Ask about guns where children visit
Water safety
- Drowning is the top cause of death for ages 1 to 4
- One adult watches children in water, no phones
- Swim lessons help but do not replace watching
- Life jackets on boats and open water
Main injury risks by age
| Age | Key risks | Key prevention |
|---|---|---|
| Babies | Sleep deaths, falls, burns | Safe sleep ABCs, never leave alone |
| Ages 1 to 4 | Drowning, poisoning, car crashes | Watch near water, lock up medicines |
| School age | Car crashes, bikes, dog bites | Boosters, helmets, ask before petting dogs |
| Teens | Car crashes, violence, overdose | Seat belts, no phones driving, naloxone |
| Adults 65 and older | Falls, car crashes | Balance, home safety, medicine review |
Heat and cold safety in Ohio
- Heat risk: Older adults, babies, outdoor workers and people with chronic illness are at higher risk in heat.
- Cool places: Help people find cooling centers, libraries and rec centers on hot days. Check on neighbors.
- Cold risk: Without heat, people may use ovens or generators indoors, which risks CO poisoning and fires.
- Utility help: Connect families to HEAP and other utility help before a shutoff, not after.
Upstream: the space heater fire
- What we see: A family in Slavic Village was hurt in a house fire started by a space heater near a bed.
- Why it happens (upstream): Their gas was shut off for unpaid bills, the landlord did not fix the furnace, and the smoke alarm had no battery.
- What we can build on (assets): HEAP and utility help, tenant rights groups, the fire department's free alarm programs, neighbors and the block club.
Situation: pills on the nightstand
Situation: On a home visit in Lorain, you see Grandma Ruth's pill organizer on a low nightstand. Her 2-year-old great-grandson visits every day. She also keeps her gun in that drawer.
What do you say and do?
- Thank her and stay respectful, not judgmental
- Share that small children can open pill boxes and drawers
- Suggest up-and-away medicine storage and a lock box
- Share safe gun storage: unloaded, locked, ammunition separate
Talk it over
- Which safety topic is hardest to bring up with families, and why?
- What community programs near you give out car seats, alarms or lock boxes?
- How can block clubs or churches help prevent injuries?
Study sheet
The big idea: Most injuries are preventable, and CHWs prevent them by teaching simple safety steps and fixing upstream causes.
Key points
- Car seats: rear-facing as long as possible, then forward-facing, then booster until the belt fits; back seat until 13.
- Every home needs working smoke alarms and CO alarms; never use generators or grills indoors.
- Keep medicines up, away and out of sight. Poison Help is 1-800-222-1222.
- Store guns unloaded and locked, with ammunition locked separately. Hidden is not safe.
- Drowning is the top cause of death for children 1 to 4; one adult must watch children near water.
- Injury risks change with age, from sleep deaths in babies to falls in older adults.
Remember
- Poison Help: 1-800-222-1222
- Back seat until age 13
- Change CO alarm batteries when the clocks change
- Guns: unloaded, locked, ammunition separate
- Emergency or not breathing: call 911
Ask yourself
- Which safety topic do I avoid because it feels awkward?
- What upstream fixes would prevent the injuries I see most in my community?
Vocabulary
| Word | What it means |
|---|---|
| Injury prevention | Steps that stop injuries before they happen, like car seats, alarms and safe storage. |
| Rear-facing car seat | A car seat that faces the back of the car, safest for babies and toddlers. |
| Booster seat | A seat that raises a child so the adult seat belt fits correctly. |
| Carbon monoxide (CO) | A gas with no color or smell from burning fuel that can poison and kill. |
| Poison Help line | A free, private 24-hour line, 1-800-222-1222, for poison questions. |
| Safe storage | Keeping medicines, chemicals or firearms locked or out of reach so they cannot cause harm. |
| Drowning | Breathing problems from being under water; it can happen quickly and silently. |
| Heat stroke | A dangerous rise in body temperature, with confusion or passing out; call 911. |
| Hypothermia | A dangerous drop in body temperature from cold exposure. |
| Naloxone | A medicine that can reverse an opioid overdose. Ohio law protects anyone who gives it in good faith and calls 911. |
Real-life situations
The hand-me-down car seat
Tanya in Collinwood got a used car seat from a cousin for her newborn. It has no label and she is not sure how old it is or how to install it.
What to do
- Thank her for planning ahead for her baby's safety
- Explain that seats expire and should be replaced after a moderate or severe crash
- Help her find a free car seat check event with a certified technician
- Connect her to local programs that provide car seats if she needs a new one
Why: A car seat only protects when it is safe and installed correctly. Trained technicians can check it.
The flu that is not flu
Mr. Diaz in Clark-Fulton says his whole family has had headaches and dizziness for days. They feel better at work and school. They run a generator in the basement since the power was cut.
What to do
- If anyone is confused, very sleepy or passes out, call 911 now
- Urge the family to get everyone into fresh air right away
- Explain that generators indoors make carbon monoxide, which can kill
- Help them get utility help, a CO alarm, and medical care, and tell your supervisor
Why: Symptoms that improve away from home and a generator indoors point to CO danger. Fast action saves lives.
Swimming at the lake
Ms. Coleman in Lakewood plans a family day at Lake Erie with five children under 10. Only two can swim.
What to do
- Encourage her to choose a beach with lifeguards
- Suggest one adult be the water watcher at all times, with no phone
- Share that life jackets help in open water; pool toys are not safety devices
- Share local swim lesson options for the future
Why: Drowning is quick and quiet. Close watching, life jackets and lessons together reduce the risk.
Activity: Neighborhood safety resource list
About 20 minutes.
- Find one local source for each: free car seat check, free smoke or CO alarm, gun lock box, swim lessons, utility help.
- Confirm each phone number or website is current.
- Add the Poison Help number and 911 guidance at the top.
- Post your list in the course discussion so the class builds one shared list.
Post-test
Ten questions. You need 75% to pass, with one retake. Your result is saved in this browser.
Sources
- CDC, Child Passenger Safety
- CDC, Seat Belts
- CDC, Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Prevention
- CDC, Firearm Injury Prevention
- CDC, Preventing Drowning
- CDC, Teen Drivers
- CDC, Older Adult Fall Prevention
- CDC, Overdose Prevention
- HRSA, The Poison Help Line
- HRSA Poison Help, Prevention Tips
- CDC, Up and Away Campaign Resources
- U.S. Fire Administration, Smoke Alarm infographic
- CDC, People at Increased Risk for Heat-Related Illness
- CDC, Infants and Children and Heat
- CDC, Heat-Related Illness fact sheet
- Safe Kids Worldwide, Get Your Car Seat Checked
- Children's Mercy Kansas City, Car Seat FAQs (cites NHTSA on replacing seats after a crash)
- MetroHealth, Want to Pet That Dog? Pause Before You Pet
- Ohio Revised Code 2925.61, Naloxone immunity (effective 12-16-2020)