Supervision of children necessary at all times: experts

Dubai: Negligence is no excuse and extra caution needs to be exercised to ensure safety, experts and officials told Gulf News.

"We have international safety regulations in place but safety is not only about rules. People should educate their kids and also themselves on their safety," says Marwan Abdullah Al Mohammad, Head of the Engineering Supervision Section, Dubai Municipality.Experts point out the need to be careful when it comes to using balconies and windows.

"The only way to really ensure that children do not have accidental falls from a height is to supervise them," says Andrew Broderick, Director of Sustainability and Health, Safety and Environment at Abu Dhabi-based master-developer Aldar Properties.

"Even if a window has a catch that is placed out of reach for most children, they can still drag a chair and open it. Falls from heights happen all over the world, especially since it only takes a split second for something to go wrong. Parents must therefore always watch over children near windows or in balconies," he said.

Safe Kids Middle East, an organisation whose mission is to prevent childhood injuries, cautions that children should not be allowed to play alone on a high porch or balcony. The organisation also recommends installing window guards, along with moving chairs, cribs and other furniture away from windows to discourage young climbers.

Dangerous

"Childproofing your home is extremely important especially when your child starts to crawl. He will enter every door, an open cupboard, even if it's ajar, he can easily get inside and the door might easily close in on him," said Mona Ataya, CEO of Mumzworld, a company engaged in selling child safety products.

"When a child starts standing, he will hold onto anything and when he falls and the floor is not padded, he could get injured. When the baby starts walking, that's the most dangerous stage."

"A lot of things about childproofing the home or keeping your child safe is common sense, some would say. But there's also a lot that's trial and error, so it's better if you consult experts and invest in courses that will teach you how to keep your child safe."

"A lot of apartment buildings here do not have child-safety locks. Children can easily manoeuvre out of these locks. It's important to set rules and to let children know, especially the older ones, to know which are definite no-nos — electric sockets, opening windows, balcony doors — so they will learn."

Tracy Fountain, Founder of Back to Basics (paediatric first aid and child injury prevention), said: "It's important to note that a lot of high-rise buildings here do not have safety measures in place or these considerations were not taken at the time that the buildings were being designed.

"For those who don't have child-safety locks, never actually let the child see how you're opening the balcony door. Get locks fitted into the windows and keep the keys. These are things you can do yourselves… People seem to underestimate the capabilities of children. If you communicate to a child as early as age four, he will understand. For example, if you have an oven and do not have an oven guard, mark a line. Teach the child not to pass through that line and explain that he could hurt himself. These are simple measures that can have life-changing effects."

Precautionary steps