CHAPTER 17. First Aid for Common Accidents

UNIT 15 ACCIDENT AND FIRST AID
P3 TERM 3

Objectives: By the end of this topic pupils should be able to: 1. Explain what First Aid is. 2. Describe causes of and prevention for accidents at home, on the way to school, at school and at the well. 3. Demonstrate First Aid for common accidents. 4. Locate the aid post centres in their local areas.

Behavioural Changes:

Pupils should:

1. Be able to avoid accidents, bites and stings at home, on the way to or from school, at school and at the well.

2. Be able to administer simple First Aid.

Sub-Topics:

a) Accidents:

What is meant by an accident?
Common accidents in my home, in my school and in my community.
How to prevent the most common accidents.

b) First Aid:

What is meant by first aid?
First Aid for most common accidents, identification, demonstration.

c) Resource person from First Aid experts to demonstrate and talk to the children.

Main Ideas:

1. First Aid is the first help given to a person who is injured before taking him/her to a Health Centre or Hospital.

2. Sprains, cuts, nose bleeding and poisoning are some of the injuries resulting from accidents.

3. Snake bites, drowning are common accidents at the well and in the bush.

4. All acccidents can be prevented.

5. First Aid can help to prevent more injury and save life.

Notes for the Teacher:

Revise Material in Chapter 3 and Chapter 12.

ACCIDENTS AT HOME AND SCHOOL
Accident	Injury	Prevention
1. Falling into fireplace or stove	Burns	Keep away from fires.
2. Spilling hot liquids and food	Scalds	Keep children away.
3. Touching electric wires	Shock, breathing stops, heart stops (even death)	Do not touch electric sockets, wires, plugs switches especially when you are wet
4. Touching sharp instruments	Cuts	Clear broken bottles and sharp instruments away.
5. Swallowing poison	Severe sickness, internall injury or even death	Keep medicines, kerosene, rat poisons and agrochemicals away from children.
6. Falling from trees	Broken bones and cuts	Keep away from climbing trees.
7. Bites from dogs, cats, Rabies/septic cut cats, etc.		Beware of roaming dogs
8. Snake bites	Poisons system	Clear long bushes
9. Stings	Painful swelling	Do not play about with stinging insects
ACCIDENTS ON THE ROAD
10. Motor vehicles	Broken bones, death	Look before crossing the road. Play away from the road.
11. From bicycles	Cuts, broken bones	Ride a bicycle safely. Keep brakes safe
ACCIDENTS AT THE WELL
12. Falling in	Drowning	Play away from wells and ponds. Take care when drawing water.

FIRST AID:

First Aid is the first help given to a person after an accident. It can save life, prevent the injury from getting worse and to help bring about recovery. It is necessary to know how to apply First Aid.

HOW TO APPLY FIRST AID FOR CUTS:

1. Wash your hands very well with soap and water (hands have germs which could infect the cut).

Figure

2. Wash the wound well with soap and clean water.

Figure

3. Cover the wound with clean cloth or bandage.

Figure

Go to the Aid Post or Clinic if the wound is deep.

4. Do not put animal faeces or mud on wound. This can cause very dangerous infection such as tetanus.

How to Control Bleeding from a wound or a deep cut:

1. Raise the injured part.

Figure

2. Press the wound with a clean cloth or your hand if there is no cloth.

Figure

Keep pressing until the bleeding stops. This may take 15 minutes or more.

3. Tie the pad with a firm cloth bandage. If bleeding continues put more pads on top. Keep Pressing.

Figure

4. If bleeding continues Put more pads on top. Keep Pressing.

5. Take person to Aid Post quickly.

How to Stop Nose Bleeding:

1. Sit down quietly.

Do not lie down or put head back.

Figure

2. Put head slightly forward.

Figure

3. Breathe through the mouth.

Figure

4. Pinch the soft part of the nose firmly for 10 minutes.

Figure

If bleeding continues take the person to the health centre.

POISONING

People especially children poison themselves by eating or drinking wrong things or by taking too much medicine or tablets.

Medicines. Weed killer Methylated spirit.

Some plants and berries are poisonous

Acids in batteries, Caustic soda

Make the person vomit.

Do this by putting your finger in their throat, or by making them drink water with soap or salt. Take to the health centre immediately.

Kerosene or petrol

Do not make the person vomit.

Give the person milk or water to drink in order to dilute the poison in the stomack. Take to the health centre immediately.

Four Handed Seat.

How to carry a person using a four-handed seat.

Figure

Some Activities for Pupils:

1. Refer back to chapter 3 and 12.

2. Children should discuss and keep a record of accidents that happen at home, school, in the neighbourhood and on the way to or from school.

3. Discuss with class what accidents may happen anywhere at home, at school and in the bush. Divide the class into groups. Have each group brainstorm e.g. common accidents at home - one list and how to prevent them - another list. Then compile a class table of accidents like the one on page 17.3.

4. Demonstrate possible ways of preventing various accidents through songs, role play, etc.

5. Discuss picture stories and formulate possible school rules with the children.

6. Let children have the opportunity to practise and demonstrate effective ways of preventing various accidents and how to administer First Aid properly.

7. Get a collection of dead insects and let the children identify them under these headings.

Name Insects that:

Bite	Sting	Sting and Bite	Do no harm

MATERIALS REQUIRED:

Pencils
Manilla papers.

EVALUATION

1. Get children to continue collecting information about accidents they have seen at home or in the community. Let the children draw pictures to illustrate or record the accidents. Put up the children's work in the information corner.

2. Give a test to children to demonstrate how to cross a road safely.

FOLLOW UP:

1. Help children to report accidents in their home and community, keep a record and observe if they are increasing or reducing.

2. Observe if rules for prevention of common accidents are being followed e.g. in the home.

3. Keep a monthly calendar of accidents in classroom/school etc.

4. Keep a frieze of accidents.

5. Time line on accidents.

TEST YOURSELF:

(What have you learnt from this chapter?).

Complete the table below.

Fill in all boxes.

Accident	Injury	Prevention	Treatment
Falling into fire place.
Spilling hot liquids and foods.
Touching electric wires.
Touching sharp instruments
Nose bleed
Swallowing Medicines, weed killer, methylated spirit, Plants and berries.
Swallowing Kerosene, petrol.
Vehicle accidents.
Bites from dogs/cats.