Injury Prevention

Injuries are the leading cause of death and disability for young children. Children are at higher risk of injuries overall and certain injuries are more probable at different ages.

In Haldimand & Norfolk counties…

ER visits for children ages 0-4:

113 for tripping, falling and falling from furniture
49 fell from playground equipment

ER visits for children ages 5-9:

116 for tripping, falling and falling from furniture
96 fell from playground equipment

Haldimand and Norfolk counties had higher injury rates than the province for poisonings where leading exposures included ibuprofen and cleaning products such as laundry detergent and bleach; and for burns and scalds where leading exposures were hot food, drinks and cooking oil.

(Ontario Injury Data Report, 2010)

Did you know?

The vast majority of injuries are predictable and preventable.
Most injuries in early childhood settings occur more frequently at arrival and departure times than any other times of day.
Injury rates are low for infants and increase with the age of the child; most frequent among 2-5 year olds.

Learning, exploring and developing new skills always involve some challenge and often some risk! Injury prevention is an essential part of quality child care programs and a major responsibility of Early Childhood Educators. By understanding how injuries happen, planning ahead and taking simple precautions, most injuries can be avoided. Planning for children’s safety is the most effective tool for preventing injuries.

The goal of injury prevention is to reduce the number and seriousness of injuries. It is important to identify potential hazards in the child care environment and to promote preventive actions such as environmental modifications, enforcement of safety policies and behavioral changes. Strategies for prevention of injuries in the child care setting can be translated into practice by:

Conducting regular safety checks to identify hazards
Modifying the environment to reduce hazards
Active positive supervision
Setting and enforcing rules for playground activities
Educating children, parents and staff members about the importance of injury prevention
Safe space arrangement: careful planning for children’s play spaces can minimize the risk of injury
Developmentally appropriate programming and activities: plan and offer activities which match the needs, skills and abilities of the children in your care

Resources/Links

Parachute Canada – Preventing injuries and saving lives

Parachute Canada’s Introduction to Child Injury Prevention

This free, online course is for people who work with families of children aged 0-6, particularly families that may be new to Canada, have lower literacy, be led by just one caregiver, or live in rural or remote places in Canada. The course will teach participants an effective planning approach to addressing childhood injuries and works in conjunction with the new child injury prevention resources available at:

Health Canada

Find reliable, easy-to-understand health and safety information for Canadians and health professionals.

Canadian Paediatric Society

Protecting and promoting the health and well-being of children and youth