Evening star., 1936-01-18
Bed Room Many Elements Conducive Accen
Majority of Fatal Falls
Apt to Occur in Former;
Hazards Among the Tiles
Aged and Infrm, With Brittle Bones, Are IN
Most Danger, Although Infants Also
:. May Suffer Injury.

used as sewing rooms, and woe petloe
the very young child who gets his lit
tie fingers upon either Of them!
X X X X
EOR the adult occupants the bed
L room also holds dangers. The
council goes into some of them in de-
tail:
"Carelessness with matches and
cigarettes is frequent cause Of death
in the bed room. Surely no reason
able person would smoke in bed! II
is so easy to drop off to sleep and
wake up in the midst Of blazing
inferno.
"One should never go to sleep with
the electric heating pad turned on.
The thermostatic controls do not al
ways work, and any pad Is hazardous
when damp. Use chemical pad or
hot-water bottle.
Radiant electric heaters have their
hazards. They should not be left on at
night, because any small alteration OF
the reflector can focus the heat on
small point like burning glass and
ignite curtains or bedclothes which
are surprisingly far away.
Apartment dwellers should know
the most direct route from the bed
room to the fire escape. The ade-
quacy of the escapes, as a matter OF
fact, should be considered when the
apartment is leased. In parts Of the
country where natural or manufac-
tured gas is still used for lighting one
should beware of the swinging bracket
which may be knocked against a cur
tain. Be careful that curtains are
not blown against the light"
THE council also advocates using
the electric curling iron in the
bed room rather than lin the bath
room, owing to the danger of shock
to the user should the cord or appli-
ance become wet.
From bed room to bath is nat
ural transition, and the little blue
pamphlet tells us that the latter, al
though not the most hazardous room
in the house, still has more than its
share of serious injuries.
Slipping, as one gets in or out OF
the tub, is, of course, one of the major
reasons for many falls. This danger
may be largely eliminated by equipping
the tub with rubber mats, suction
grips, and so forth, which may be
found in the bath room fixtures Sec
ton of any large shop. Bath mats
for the floor are also safer when
backed with corrugated rubber, which
keeps them from sliding on damp tile
floors.
Porcelain faucet handles must be
checked to see that they have nc
cracks or tendency to become loose.
Under pressure defective handle
may break, causing bad cut, and a
| the bather of balance to such an
extent that another serious fall will be
chalked up on the bath rooms score
\ THOUGH it may seem far
4 fetched to you, it Is very true
| that people have electrocuted them
selves in their bath rooms by touch
ing the electric light switch while in
the tub! Even standing with one hand
on a faucet while touching the switch
can do the same thing. If the light
is turned on by a hanging chain the
chain should be insulated by length
of string or ribbon. These points are
exceedingly important and should
merit the real attention of every one.
1t is wise for mothers to explain
| the danger to children who are Of an
| age to take their baths without assist
ance and may unwittingly reach for
the light switch at the wrong moment.
Another very real bath room dan
ger is poisoning. If you must keep
poisonS in your medicine chest, the
bottles should be very plainly marked,
| and to prevent mistakes in the dark,
pins should be stuck in the corks. All
bottles or boxes containing even mildly
poisonous substances should be kept
on the very highest shelf, beyond the
reach of young children.
II you wish advice on your individ-
ual household problems, write to Betsy
Caswell, in care Of The Star, inclos-
ing stamped, self addressed envelope
for reply.