Children`s Nightwear

Queensland
News
KIDSAFE QLD (Inc)
Children’s Nightwear
In 1979 a staggering 300 Australian children
were admitted to hospital as a result of burn
injuries resulting from night clothes catching on
fire. Flimsy, loose-fitting girls’ nighties were
often involved.
LOW FIRE DANGER Category 1 to 3
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
A number of prevention efforts, including a
change to the Australian Standard for warning
labels, have led to a major reduction in injuries.
Children’s nightwear and a limited amount of
daywear must now comply with Australian
Standard AS/NZS 1249:1999 which reduces
the fire hazard of clothing.
A survey of admissions between 1988 and
1996 to the Burns Unit at the Royal Children’s
Hospital, Brisbane, revealed a comparatively
l o w p r op o rt i on of
c h i l d
b u r n
admissions were
associated with the
w e a r i ng of n ig ht wear. However, the
survey also noted
t hat bu rn in ju r ie s
have declined since
the introduction of
the mandatory
product safety
standard.
Flammability standards for nightwear are just
one measure in a range of measures introduced by governments and the market to reduce the high levels of burn injuries that were
present in the 1970’s.
FIRE WARNING LABELS
Items covered in the mandatory labeling requirements include styled and recognised
nightwear garments such as pyjamas, pyjamastyle overgarments, nightdresses, nightshirts,
dressing gowns, bathrobes, infant sleepbags
and boxer shorts of loose style.
Garments must be flammability tested before
being labelled. Garments are categorised
according to fabric type and burning behaviour.
Issue 5 - Winter News (July 2009)
www.kidsafeqld.com.au
LOW FIRE
DANGER
Garments displaying the label above are made
from low fire danger fabric like some polyester
fabrics and heavy weight wool. Or are styled to
reduce fire danger such as close fitting tracksuit
styles with limitations on size of trims and
attachments, knitted or woven all-in-ones and
ski pyjamas.
HIGH FIRE DANGER Category 4
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
WARNING
HIGH FIRE
DANGER
Garments displaying the label above still meet
the Australian Standards, but present a higher
fire risk. They are made from material that is a
known high fire danger such as cotton, chenille,
flannelette and acrylic fabrics or are long
flowing styles of nightwear.
For more information contact the ACCC
Ph: 1300 302 502 or the Office of Fair
Trading 13 13 04
Inside this Issue:
EO Report
Fire Safety
Treadmills
Child Injury
Page 2
Page 2
Page 3
Page 4
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Queensland
News
Executive Officer’s Report
Welcome to our new look Kidsafe Qld winter newsletter. In this edition we cover some topics that we
hope you find interesting and educational. We have information on treadmill dangers as well as
statistics on child injury. With some parts of Queensland cooling down, we have also included
information on burns relating to children’s nightwear.
On behalf of Kidsafe Qld, I would like to thank Robyn Allen, Kidsafe Qld’s outgoing Executive Officer
for all her hard work and dedication over the past 25 years. The Kidsafe Qld’s board, myself and the
former and current staff wish her all the best in her retirement. I do look forward to the challenge ahead
and already find working for such an organisation very rewarding and worthwhile.
Enjoy this edition of the newsletter and please feel free to email Kidsafe Qld if you have any comments
or suggestions. Email: [email protected]
Katherine Gaunt
Fire safety campaign
With temperatures cooling to single figures
across most of Queensland, everyone is being
warned to take a ‘safety first’ approach to
minimise the possibility of house fires.
Emergency Services Minister Neil Roberts
visited Kidsaf e House to launch the
Queensland Fire and Rescue Service’s winter
fire safety campaign, and their aim is for people
to learn about home fire risks and prevention.
The risk of fire increases dramatically over the
three winter months due to the increase in
usage of heaters, electric blankets and
candles.
The Queensland Fire & Rescue Service, supported by NRMA provide a service called ‘Safe
Home’ where firefighters will assist the public to
recognise fire and safety hazards in and around
the home. As part of the service, the firefighters
will advise the occupant on correct positioning
and installation of smoke alarms.
‘Safe Home’ is a free service in the interest of
developing a safer community. To invite your
local fire station crew to your home
ph: 1300 369 003.
Mr Neil Roberts at Kidsafe House to launch the
‘Fire Safety’ Campaign in May, 2009
L to R : Prof Roy Kimble (Kidsafe Board Member);
Representative from Qld Fire & Rescue Service;
Neil Roberts (Minister for Emergency Services);
Katherine Gaunt (Kidsafe Qld Executive Officer).
Issue 5 - Winter News (July 2009)
www.kidsafeqld.com.au
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Queensland
News
Domestic Treadmills
Treadmill exercise can be a convenient
way to keep in shape at home over the
winter months. However, if you have young
children, you may be exposing them to
potential danger.
Over the last three
years, more than 100
serious accidents
associated with treadmills have occurred in
Australian
h o me s .
Young children are
most at risk of injury
from treadmills.
Most serious injuries
occur when children try to touch or climb on
the treadmill while it is being used. They
may approach the treadmill without the
user noticing until it is too late.
If a child touches the walking belt while it is
in use, they can receive serious friction
burns very quickly, or their fingers and
hand can get caught in the gap between
the belt and the frame of the floor.
Prevention
It is best to use your fitness machines in an
area that is not accessible to a young child.
If you can’t keep the machine in a child-free
area. Either place child-proof barriers
around the machine or situate it in a
position where you can easily see a child
approaching you.
Visit us
KIDSAFE HOUSE
Address: 50 Bramston Tce,
Herston Qld 4029
(Adjacent to Royal Children’s Hospital)
Phone:
Fax:
Email:
Website:
(07) 3854 1829
(07) 3252 7900
[email protected]
www.kidsafeqld.com.au
Kidsafe Qld is a not-for-profit charitable
organisation dedicated to the prevention of
unintentional childhood injuries.
Donations $2 and over are tax deductable.
Issue 5 - Winter News (July 2009)
www.kidsafeqld.com.au
Before you buy
Select a machine with protective covers to
keep little fingers and hands away from as
many moving parts as possible. Also check
that the machine has a safety stop switch
to stop it quickly in case of accidents.
Once at home
Understand how to operate the treadmill
and learn about the safety functions of the
machine. If possible, place the treadmill in
a separate room away from young children.
Otherwise use safety barriers to keep
children away from the machine.
Keep the area around the treadmill clear of
objects and before you use it ensure that
ch i l d r e n ca n n o t r e a ch o r t o u ch t h e
ma chi ne . Al wa ys kee p th e tre ad mill
unplugged from power when it is not is not
in use.
Storage
When storing the treadmill, especially if it is
folded, place it well away from a child's
reach.
Supervision
Always supervise older children if they are
using a treadmill as most do not see it as
an exercise machine, but more like a play
item.
For more information please contact the
ACCC information centre Ph: 1300 302 502
Thanks Robyn!
Kidsafe Qld would like to express its heartfelt
appreciation and best
wishes to Robyn Allen,
who recently retired
from Kidsafe Qld after
25 years of service.
We wish her all the
best with her travels
and future endeavours
and thank her again for
her contribution to the
Child Accident Prevention Foundation of
Australia.
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Queensland
News
Child Injury
Injury is the leading cause of death of
children ages 1-14 years and is also a
major cause of hospitalisation. Injuries
sustained during childhood can have
profound and lifelong effects on health and
develop men t, by cau sing per manent
physical disabilities or long-term cognitive
or psychological damage.
Initiatives to prevent in juries a mong
children aged 0-4 focus on creating safer
products and environments and raising the
awareness of children’s carers. Successful
steps in this area have included legislation
requiring the fencing of swimming pools
and the use of car seats.
Deaths from Injury
In 2006, injuries contributed to 241 deaths
of children aged 0-14 years (a rate of 6 per
100,000 children.
 Injury was the underlying cause in 94% of
these deaths and was a contributing factor in the remainder
 Boys were overall 80% more likely to die
from injury than girls, although there was
some variation by age group.
Injury death rates among children have
been decreasing over time - by almost 40%
between 1997 and 2006, from 10 to 6
deaths per 100,000 children. The decrease
is largely due to a reduction in deaths from
land transport accidents, and accidental
drowning and submersion.
Road transport accidents, accidental
drowning and assault were leading causes
of injury death among children in 2006.
Injury Hospitalisations
The cause of an injury provides important
information for developing preventive
strategies to reduce the risk of serious
injury to children.
In 2006-07, among children aged 0-14
years, falls were the most common reason
for injury hospitalisation of children for all
age groups.
Excerpts taken from the Australian Institute of
Health and Welfare report
Baby Expo
The 2009 Pregnancy, babies and children’s
expo is again behind us. Our stand featured
information on child restraints, home safety and
general information about accidental injuries to
children. We would like to thank Britax/Safe-nSound and NRMA for donating the prizes for
our educational competition. Winners of the
prizes have been contacted by phone.
Issue 5 - Winter News (July 2009)
www.kidsafeqld.com.au
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