Welcome to the October edition of Kidsafe Victoria’s e-news. This month will focus on National Kidsafe Day, our Farm Safety Competition and some tips on home water safety. We also have some information on the most recent product recalls. Don’t forget to like us on Facebook for regular safety tips and updates – happy reading and stay safe!

National Kidsafe Day 2017 – 24th October, 2017

On average, 3 Australian children die every week from preventable injuries. While the number of children who die from unintentional injury has reduced dramatically from the average of 14 children per week in 1979 when Kidsafe was established, there is still much work to be done.

The aim of this National Kidsafe Day was to show that child safety really is no accident – because many of the serious injuries that can change lives in just a split second, are preventable.

• A recently published snapshot of Child Injury in Australia revealed that in a 10 year period:
• On average, over 60,000 children under 16 years of age were hospitalised per year due to an injury
• The total hospital cost of injury hospitalisations of children during the ten year period was $2.1 billion – $212 million annually, and an average cost per child of $3,119.
• Children had a higher risk of dying from their injury if they were 10 years old or younger, lived in regional or remote Australia, were injured in a transport incident, following drowning and submersion, or sustained a head injury.*

To highlight the issue, Kidsafe focused on the some of the common causes of injury, developing a series of short clips demonstrating, how quickly incidents can happen and what measures parents/carers can put in place to reduce the risk. Check out our Facebook page to see these videos and other important child safety information and tips.

Farm Safety Creative Competition

During Term 3 and 4, Kidsafe Victoria – with the support of WorkSafe Victoria – are running a farm safety creative competition for Victorian primary school aged children. As part of the campaign, students are invited to create a video, illustrated story or poster around the theme of ‘staying safe on the farm’.

There are some fantastic prizes on offer including cash prizes, vouchers and books from Booktopia! The winning entries will be used as the basis of a statewide farm safety social media campaign in 2018.

Entries close 5pm 27th November!

For more information on the competition, including entry forms and some tips to help children create their entries, please click here.

Home Water Safety Audit

Many of us know that drowning is one of the major causes of unintentional death for Australian children, however did you know that the home is the most common location where toddler drowning incidents occur?

Kidsafe Victoria’s Home Water Safety Audit can help you to identify any possible water hazards around your home. The audit will only take 5 minutes and upon completion you will receive a set of tailored action items to help you reduce the risk of potential water safety hazards.

For more information and to access the audit please click here.

Product Recalls

Target Australia- Girl’s Frill Sleep Short

The circumference of the leg of the sleep shorts does not comply with the measurement requirements of the mandatory standard and may be a fire risk to the wearer. Consumers should stop using the product immediately and return it to a Target or Target Country store as soon as possible for a full refund.

For further information please click here.

Organature — Hardwood Country Cot 

The product does not comply with labelling requirements regarding mattress dimensions as the label containing the required information may detach from the cot. There is a risk of injury to the occupant if an incorrectly sized mattress is used. Consumers will contacted by direct email and will be sent a correct label and instructions on where to place the label on the cot.

Toys “R” Us — Bruin Wiggle Ball (Giggle Ball)

The wiggle ball’s rubber knobs and plastic back can detach from the ball creating small parts which can present a choking hazard for children under 3 years of age.

Consumers are asked to return the ball to a Toys “R” Us or Babies “R” Us store for a full refund. For further information please click here.

For more information on the last month’s product recalls please visit the Australian Product Safety website here.