Accidents

1. Social Powerpoint Non-Written FA2

2. Prevention of major accidents in rural and urban areas Accidents can happen anywhere, anytime  but the commonest place for an accident is your own home. Let’s look why our home can be a hub for accidents and what we can do to prevent them. Along with that we will also look more deeply into the accidents occurring in rural and urban areas.

3. Major accidentsin rural and urban areas Some accidents that take place in rural and urban areas are: • Road -related Accidents • Railway Accidents • Fire-related Accidents • Poisoning accidents • Water (Drowning)-related accidents • Violence – related accidents • Natural(Nature-related) accidents • Suicides, Murders • Fall-related accidents • Electric Accidents • Accidents at home/workplace

4. Let’s take up the first one:Road – Related Accidents These are accidents that occur when people cross roads carelessly, or when they do not cross at the zebra-crossing, or when the signal for the cars are still green. They get hit by the moving vehicles. Some serious accidents of these kind can also lead to the death. This type of accident can occur due to the speeding of vehicles or due to problems with the traffic signal or traffic policeman. Speeding drivers lose control and hit into the car in front, they also tend to miss the signal being shown.. Road-related Accidents • These accidents occur mostly when speeding vehicles lose their friction with road and smash into the nearby lamp-post, highway dividers...etc. • The speeding drivers are to be blamed for these kinds of accidents. While speeding, they lose control over their vehicles . • Speeding vehicles also tend to hit people crossing the road or even people on the footpath. • It poses risk to the pavement walkers, the people crossing the road, or even the driver and the passengers. • This accident can even lead to death. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=boDRxgJQAcY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaaFYsALURI&feature=related Please refer to these videos to know more about a road accident

5. Prevention of Road-related Accidents There are so many measures that can be taken that help in preventing these type of accidents: • If you are crossing the road: • Always cross the road at the pedestrian crossing. • Refer/ look at the signal for the ‘Green Man’ then only cross the road. • If there is no pedestrian crossing / a signal, know the right way to cross a road and implement it1st look to your right, then to your left , then to your right again, ensure your safety and then cross the road. • Before crossing a road without a signal / a pedestrian crossing, look out for speeding vehicles. If there are speeding vehicles, do not cross the road, cross after they pass by you. • Always stay on the pavement, never lurk simply near the road. • Playing games on the road/ the roadside pavement is not advisable. It is very dangerous. • While crossing, do not run across the road, just walk briskly. • Never attend/talk on the phone while crossing a road, your attention is diverted to the phone call and you never know when a speeding car comes bashing towards you. Do not follow the phone company “Idea!”’s famous quote “Walk and Talk!!”

6. Do not cross the road at a corner/bend. • Follow the traffic rules and regulations. • If you are the driver of any car: • You should be careful too – carelessness of drivers could lead to major accidents. • Avoid speeding when there are lots of cars on the road. Speeding also drives away our attention on the road and traffic signal, you may tend to jump a red signal which again can cause accidents if the cars on the other side are coming towards you. • Avoid speeding when the weather is rainy/monsoon, because the road becomes wet and slippery – which is just enough for a lose over the control of the car/vehicle. • Always switch on the vehicle’s head-lights especially during the night and when there is less visibility (fog, haze, mist..etc.) • Always put the indicators while overtaking other vehicles. Do not overtake the vehicles very fast. • Follow the traffic rules and regulations.

7. The Second one:Railway Accidents Prevention of rail-related accidents Railway accidents occur to the traveler's negligence and also the Railway Authority’s negligence. Accidents can occur when: • The travelers stand very close to /next to the rails on the railway platform. Due to the high speed of the train, a strong wind is likely to be blown by the fast-moving train, this is can disturb our balance, causing us to fall into the rails. • People instead of using the walkway to go the next platform, at times cross the rails where the trains come. • Never stand close to the platform. • Never cross the rails to go to the next platform, always use the walkway. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2Br1mcIqzQ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8s06oIBfg4&feature=related

8. Decisions that can be taken by the government to decrease the number of accidents • An integrated Road Safety Policy need to be drafted with well-defined objectives vision, mission and objectives for both rural and urban transportation needs. • Independent road safety agencies must be formed and empowered to implement and monitor road safety measures and activities. • Laws pertaining to helmets, drink drive, speed measures, road and vehicle standards, improving visibility, improved trauma care in case of accidents, mass transport systems such as the metro rail...etc. need to be implemented all over the country. • Awareness and education on road safety literacy should be promoted among policy makers, transport sector professionals health and police officials of rural and urban areas. Free seminars on road safety should be held in rural and urban areas, and the people should also be taught how to take action and what actions when a person is injured. • Kits in which flyers...etc, in the local language and first aid is present should also be given to the people as part of the spreading the awareness of road safety programmes.

9. What to do in case an accident occurs: Call an ambulance and tell them to reach immediately. Do not crowd around the victim. Console him/her and tell that nothing has happened. OR Take the victim to the nearest hospital. Call the police.

10. The third one:Fire-related Accidents These types of accidents occur very frequently due to people’s carelessness. Eg: Last year, a flat in my building caught fire because the sun’s light was concentrated on a piece of cardboard in the balcony. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFYnj7Bl_Z4

12. Prevention of Fire-related Accidents • During Camping: • Keep a fire extinguisher ready/ a shovel and a bucketful of water ready to put out a fire. Familiarize yourself with the correct operating procedures of the extinguishers. • Build a ring of stone to contain/maintain the fire to a certain and safe limit. Stone does not catch fire. • Place your tent 15 feet away from the fire in the opposite direction of the blowing wind. • Children should be supervised and kept away from the fire. • (Flammable )Synthetic clothes should not be worn, natural fibres (Non-flammable) are preferred. • Never leave the hot embers of a fire unattended, wet the embers completely in a pool of water and mix the remains with the dirt/soil. Continue to add water and mix till the embers are cold.

13. At the house: • Proper attention should be paid to the clothes we wear while cooking with natural gas  synthetic clothes are dangerous, natural –fibred clothes are a must. • Always keep a fire extinguisher in the kitchen in case of a flame-up / grease or oil fire. • While cooking, close attention should be paid to the materials over the flame. The volatile ingredients should not be left unattended. • Keep the cooking area clean, splattered oil can catch fire. • Clean your gas appliances after use  grease/oil residues can catch fire very easily. • Always stay away from the splattering oil while cooking food, be careful not to tip over a pot of boiling oil/water, you may get burnt. • Timely inspections should be done on the fire extinguishers, and the gas/electric stoves. Keep the records of repairs and maintenance and have your gas stove top inspected by a professional at the first sign of a leak or malfunction. Gas appliances are subject to strict standards and regulations, so you should not worry too much. But natural gas is a volatile substance, so do not hesitate to call for repaires when they are needed.

14. The fourth one:Poisoning Accidents Poisoning can be: • Food/water Poisoning • Most common. • Chemical/medicine poisoning • Carbon Monoxide (CO) poisoning • Carbon Monoxide is a poisonous gas that ca build up due to faulty household appliances {boilers, water heaters, stoves/open fires} that do not burn efficiently. • Carbon Monoxide has no smell/taste/colour, therefore it is difficult to know when it is produced. • Self-poisoning {suicide} or poisoning others {murder}. Prevention of Food/Water Poisoning • Do not drink water from rivers nowadays, because of the amount of dirt, sewage and industrial effluents that go into them. • Drink clean water; boiling can be done to ensure the purity and to kill the germs in the water befor drinking. • Eat clean food, avoid buying food from dirty stalls. • Home-made food is the best food  free of germs ; so try to eat {the delicious food} most of the time at your house . • Cook food in neat conditions.

15. Look out for food symptoms of food spoilage. • Buy fish carefully, since fish live in water, they have chances of being poisoned by the industrial effluents which may inturn poison you. • Store food in a refrigerator if you want to save the food for 3-4 days. • Wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly before eating them  you don’t know how much pesticides...etc. have been sprayed onto them. Prevention of poisoning of children from household chemicals, products and medicines. • Keep children away from poisonous substances. • Medicines kept in refrigerators need to be kept at a high level and hidden from view. • Keep the caps closed on medicine bottles. • Keep all medicines in their original containers so that the contents are visible and difficult for children to open them. • Do not leave loose-tablets lying around. • Take extra care with tablets in see-through packs or brightly coloured tablets which are tempting to children. • Protect children from gaining access to medicines while at other’s houses where such safety measures are not followed.

16. All household chemicals and cleaning agents (also washing machine/dishwasher’s detergent tablets)  should be stored in cupboards with child—resistant locks. • Dispose off empty containers safely after they get over. • Purchase products with child-resistant caps. • Potentially harmful products need to be kept out of reach of children and not under the sink or on the floor by the toilet. • All chemicals like paints, white spirit, oil (kerosene), anti-freeze, weed-killers and pesticides  should be stored high up, out of reach and out of sight of children in well-protected places like a cupboard or garage in their original containers. Prevention of Carbon Monoxide poisoning • Fit Carbon Monoxide alarms wherever there is a flame-burning appliance. • Ventilation outlets at home need to be free from blockages. • Flame-burning appliances need to be regularly serviced by a qualified engineer.

17. Preventing poisoning in the chemistry laboratory: • Do not use the pipette by mouth. • Carefully read the Chemical Safety Information before handling them. • A Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) should be used for every chemical used in lab and recommendations for safe use and disposal of the material mentioned in the sheet should be followed. • Dress appropriately with protective gear safety goggles and a lab coat as per the demands of the experiment. • Identify the Safety Equipment such as fire blanket, fire extinguishers, eyewash, and shower...etc. are available in the lab and learn the method of using them. • Avoid tasting or sniffing chemicals as an exposure to them can cause great harm. • Avoid disposing chemicals down the drain as they can react with other left over chemicals and cause accidents. • Care needs to be exerted while mixing the chemicals per instructions as otherwise it can lead to unwanted and dangerous reactions leading to accidents.

18. The fifth one is all about:Water (drowning)-related accidents These accidents often occur when: • People go out to swim in the sea despite being warned of high tides. • People swim in dams • People swim/learn how to swim in the high-flow rivers. • People who don’t know how to swim/who are just beginners wander into the deeper ends of the pools. • Drowning is the 2nd most common cause of death from injuries among children under the age of 14. • Drowning can happen quickly, sometimes in less than 2 minutes after a person’s head goes under the water leaving very little time for help to arrive and save. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptH1AMUVro4

19. Prevention of Water-related accidents Some Pool safety measures are follows: • Pool’s sides and bottoms are made of concrete  be careful not to slip and fall which can be painful and dangerous. • Take note of the depth marker [which indicates the depth of the pool] before jumping into the pool. • Do not bump/push others in the pool. • Do not chew gum while swimming  it can cause choking. • During training period, always have an adult supervision and stay in shallow waters while swimming. • Test the pool’s temperature before plunging in. The cold water can shock the body, causing the blood pressure and heart rate to increase rapidly. Accidental opening of the mouth during the shock can lead to water entering through the nose.

20. Only the diving board should be used for diving. Diving off the side of the pool is dangerous because it may be shallower in this part and can cause head and neck injuries if one hits the bottom/side of the pool • Always wear protective gear (goggles, swim cap..etc.) Some normal swim measures: • Do not enter the waters (sea) once warned. • Do not swim during high tides. • Do not swim in dams, there is high current which cannot be withheld. • Do not swim in deep waters. • Do not swim in muddy water if not used to it, your vision will get blocked and even spoilt. • Do not swim without adult supervision even if you are an expert swimmer. • Always wear the protective gear. • Never lurk too deep into the seawaters.

21. The sixth one:Violence –related accidents These accidents can happen when: • For example, people are striking against a particular problem faced by them. They go on a strike in public and then go to the police stations mostly. The police try to control them, but then as strikers become impatient, they start throwing stones at the policemen. The policemen, angry, charge at the people with their lathis (sticks). This can cause big and fatal injuries to the striking people . Prevention • The striking people should be taught to be patient, control the anger and understand the confusing situation of the police in a democracy like India by their leaders. • The police should try to maintain their disciplinary order, by taking in and managing the people as a whole. • The chief ministers, prime minister, president should try to listen to the people’s issues and make solutions. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEL1O2wmZAc

22. Taking up the Seventh one:Nature-related accidents The venom can kill people within 3-5 minutes. Eg: Elephant stamps, Donkey/horse kicks, Bull hits Can cause deadly diseases. Can cause Rabies because of the amount of germs in the dog’s mouth/saliva. Can also cause the madness disease(if bitten by a mad dog) in which affected people act like mad dogs.

24. The eighth one:Suicides and Murders The government works to find / investigate the crime scenes of suicides and murders without fail. It’s just that because of some corrupt people, justice takes a long time and way in reaching the people...

25. The ninth one:Fall-related Accidents If the scaffold breaks, if anything heavy tangles around the worker’s leg and pulls him/her down...etc. Speeding up and down/pushing/ playing in a staircase can cause a person to fall and injure himself. It can sometimes be a fatal fall, affecting the person’s skull and other important and fragile parts. During the fall, the person can hit himself on the floor/on nearby hard object/sharp objects on the floor.

26. Prevention of Fall-related Accidents Prevention of falling from a staircase: • The stairs should be maintained  without ragged edges or strings or carpeted stairs, fitted with an approved safety gate at the bottom and top of the stairs with a handrail that is firmly affixed at a reachable/suitable height. • Lining Up In schools, primary children should be taught to walk in a single file/line without pushing/pulling with the teacher to guide and supervise and protect them in a case of emergency. • Use the handrail Young students need to be taught to use the handrail whether climbing up or down the stairs. The rail will help stabilize them in the event of a slip or a fall. • Single File Children should always walk up or down stairs on a single file. This helps prevent crowding or pushing on the stairs. • Walk up or down the stairs  Students should be trained to always walk on the stairs and must not be permitted to run, jump or take the stairs two or more at a time. They should be monitored to prevent them from jumping down from the stairs while descending, or hop up the stairs. The same applies for adults

27. Prevention of a fall in bus/public vehicle: • The bus should be entered(boarded) and exited in an orderly manner at the designated bus stop. • Arrive at the bus stop 5 minutes before the scheduled stop-time and wait at a safe distance away from the bus and the road. • Avoid climbing up or getting down from a moving bus, it is very dangerous. If a person falls, he/she can get injured very badly, there is also a tendency of other cars running over he/she if the person is getting down on the roadside. • Do not be in a hurry to approach the bus until it has come to a complete stop. Form a queue and enter the bus. • School students need to keep books, and other objects away from the aisle of the bus. Objects carried on the bus must be small enough to be held in the lap of the owner. • When it is time to exit the bus, wait for the bus to come to a complete stop before getting up from the seat. • Upon exiting the bus, do not cross the street immediately in front of the bus.

28. Preventing a fall during cycling on a bicycle: • Wear protective gear {helmet  must, knee pads...etc} • Ride with the traffic flow in a straight line. • Keep to the right if you are moving slower than the traffic. • Observe and respect the stop signs and red lights. • Use a light, reflectors and reflective clothing during darkness. • Keep a safe distance from the parked cars. • Use appropriate hand signals when turning, stopping or changing lanes. • Cross railroad tracks at a right angle. • Walk your bike when using a crosswalk. • Do not wear headphones on both ears while riding.

29. The topic of the tenth one:Electric Accidents When someone gets an electric shock, muscles constrict and make any kind of movement impossible. The electric current travels through the body and gets to it’s final destination, the earth/ the ground. This shock can cause a heart attack or even death when the voltage is very high. Short-circuiting / electric sparks can also lead to a fire accident. Some electric shocks can cause severe third-grade burns also. It is necessary to do the following things to secure yourself and others from getting an electric shock.

30. Prevention of Electrical Accidents • Check for office/school maintenance records on electrical wiring and system upgrades. • Teach children on the safety rules for electricity st home and school • Electrical gadgets should be/need to be repaired by professionals only. In a laboratory using switches, electricity...etc: • Familiarize with locations of emergency top buttons in the workshop. In the event of an accident, it is possible to turn off all electrical power to machines. • It is necessary to wear an apron to protect the clothes and hold any loose clothing in place. • It is important to keep hands away from moving/rotating machinery and those with cutting edges. • Any damage to machines/ equipment in the workshop or laboratory need to be promptly reported as otherwise, it could lead to accidents.

31. Last but not the least, the eleventh one is about:Accidents at home and workplace All the above 8 types of accidents {except for road and railway accidents} can happen in a house. The vast majority of accidents happen in the home. And therefore, all the above stated measures should be taken to protect each and every one from the accidents. Summing up all the accidents possible of taking place at home: • Keep cleansing products away from heat and flame and out of reach of children. • Remove common obstacles such as loose wires and cables from walkways. • Put away children’s toys that are not in use to prevent tripping and falling. • Monitor any burning candle or incense. • Turn off or unplug any appliances not in use to avoid fire hazards. • Do not leave children unattended in the bathroom.

32. Accidents can also take place at your workplace. Take the following measures to ensure your safety in the workplace. • Wear protective gear necessary for your job such as safety glasses, gloves and steel-toed boots. • Be aware of the nature of work of your coworkers, especially with regard to the equipment being used. • Ask for help when necessary such as lifting heavy objects. While lifting a heavy load, stand with your legs apart and your back straight, If an object is too large or too heavy to be lifted on your own, ask for help. • In the event of an accident, report it to your supervisor and seek immediate help.

33. Thank You