Houston, We Have a Safety Problem: Many Homes Not Properly Childproofed
by John Egan
January 20, 2017
Homes present all sorts of dangers, and parents typically spend a lot of time worrying about keeping their kids out of harm’s way. Sadly, thousands of kids in the Houston, TX, metro area remain at serious risk of household injury or death from two common hazards.
New data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows that among nearly 790,000 households in the Houston area that children under age 7 live in or visit regularly, either none or just some of the electrical outlets are covered in almost two-thirds (63.4 percent) of homes.
What about household chemicals, pesticides, cleaning supplies and medicines being stored out of reach of children in those homes? In one-fourth (24.7 percent) of the kids-under-7 homes in the Houston area, either none or just some of these dangerous chemicals and medicines are kept where young children can’t access them, according to the Census Bureau data.
LawnStarter reviewed Census Bureau data about child safety for Houston and 24 other major metro areas included in the bureau’s 2015 American Housing Survey. The bureau released the survey results in January 2017.
Brett Benner is president of the Electrical Safety Foundation International.
Photo: AudioAcrobat
Protecting Electrical Outlets
A 2016 survey by the Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI) found that nearly one-third of American parents with young children (31 percent) didn’t have their electrical outlets childproofed. Forty-four percent of those surveyed weren’t familiar with tamper-resistant receptacles, which experts say are the best tools for childproofing electrical outlets.
Each year, 2,400 children in the U.S. are treated for injuries caused by electrical outlets, according to ESFI. Nearly one-third of these injuries result from small children putting ordinary household objects, such as keys, pins or paperclips, into electrical outlets.
“Safeguarding electrical outlets is among one of the top priorities for families who are childproofing their homes, but many are unaware of tamper-resistant receptacle technology and its proven effectiveness,” ESFI President Brett Brenner says. “Unlike plastic outlet caps that can be removed by toddlers and are a choking hazard, tamper-resistant receptacles offer permanent protection and have been proven so effective that they are now required in all new home construction.”
Krista Osterthaler leads national outreach at the American Association of Poison Control Centers.
Photo: Twitter/American Association of Poison Control Centers
Potential for Poisoning
As for chemicals and medicines in the home, the potential threat to children is just as staggering.
In 2014, cosmetics and personal care products were the leading cause of accidental poisonings involving U.S. children under 6 years old (15 percent of all exposures), with cleaning substances in second place (11 percent), according to the American Association of Poison Control Centers. Kids under 6 represent nearly half of all poisonings reported in the U.S.
The American Association of Poison Control Centers says 96 percent of poison exposures among children 6 and younger happen at home.
“We keep many products and substances in our homes that make our lives better when used as intended, but can cause great harm when used in ways that are not intended,” says Krista Osterthaler, the association’s director of national outreach. “It only takes seconds for a child to get a hold of something dangerous, which is why it’s vital for parents and caregivers to do everything they can to ensure that their homes are safe, and be prepared in the event of a potential poison emergency.”
Drug Danger
In the case of medication, more than 59,000 American kids each year are treated in ERs because they’ve been accidentally poisoned by prescription and over-the-counter drugs, according to a 2016 report from Safe Kids Worldwide.
“We want parents and caregivers to remember that the first line of defense in preventing medicine poisoning is the family,” says Kate Carr, president and CEO of Safe Kids Worldwide. “Look around your home and in your purses to make sure all medicine is out of reach of children.”
To see how Houston stacks up against other major U.S. metros for childproofed homes, check out the graphic below. To dig into statistics for a certain metro, hover over the name of the metro on the two bar charts or the location of the metro on the map.
Related Posts
What Will Houston Look Like in 2020?
Which Texas Mega-County Added 248 Residents Per Day from 2014 to 2015?
Houston’s Water Woes
LawnStarter is Houston's most convenient lawn care service
Easy 5 minute booking
Houston's top-rated lawn pros
Online account management