Actually, this topic is brought up by my housekeeper. She works part-time in several high Rise Buildings and related something disturbing to me. She had long observed a foreign maid taking care of three Children. They lived in some high class condominium in the Gold Coast area (in my island, not Australia ).

I don’t quite get what she meant as it was hard for me to visualise the structure of their condo. But what she told me was, the older children suggested to her to let them pick up a clothes hanger that had fallen off by holding onto each other. You see, their maid had asked them to retrive things by holding on to the child, going over the rail.

My housekeeper, of course related to the parents later on as a matter of precaution. The parents left their children under the care of the maid during the day.

We have heard too many news about children falling down buildings and die. Once, a Prof. in the Paediatric ICU of a Government hospital related to me how a father lost the grip of his four years old son whom he was carrying (who was throwing a tantrum) and the boy fell off four flours and died.

Therefore, parents who are staying in high rise buildings, please do be extra careful. I would like to share some personal advices:

1. Never allow your older children/untrusted adult to carry the baby when walking along corridors
2. If the floor surface is slippery, wet, always stay close to the wall, far away from the ledge
3. At all times, be aware of the dangers (but not to the point of being paranoid)
4. Don’t overload yourselves with too many stuffs when carrying the baby
5. Never, ever allow the children to play along corridors, no matter at what age
6. Always keep the keys in high places as most children are fascinated with lock and key and can open the door by age 2+ years!
7. Remember all the above and be especially alert when visiting friends living in high places. Same rules apply.
8. When going for holidays, and staying in high rise hotels, be attentive to the danger points. See that children do not play with any hard toys as most hotels have glass panels for walls.
9. Though iron grilles are most ideal, always ensure that they are not ‘dead’ and can be opened with lock and key
10. Forget about aesthetic values, think safety when you start a new home. Do not compromise safety for beauty. Install safety gates, lock and grilles.
11. Always drum into your children’s mind about the dangers lurking
12. Always drum into your caregivers’s mind about the risks.

A little photo for the extra reminder. Taken at Pyramid Suite 19th floor, looking down at Sunway Lagoon Resort.

There are more tips to prevent children from falling off high rise buildings and window falls. Please surf over to Cincinnati CHildren’s Hospital website for further reading:

“Children are more likely to die or be injured severely after a fall from a window than from a fall associated with any other product, and children under 5 are particularly vulnerable,” says Dr. Pomerantz.

Fact About Children and Window Falls

Each year in the United States, 15 to 20 children under the age of 11 die, and nearly 15,000 are injured, because of falls from windows. Window falls tend to occur in low-income neighborhoods with deteriorating housing, unsatisfactory window construction and no air conditioning.

Children living in apartment buildings fall from windows at five times the rate of children living in other types of residences. The height of the fall, rate of the fall, force of impact and surface on which the child falls influence severity of injuries. The greater the height of the fall, the higher the death rate.

Originally posted 2006-05-23 01:10:22.