National Injury Prevention Day: Preventing predictable injuries in children and youth

For National Injury Prevention Day, The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) is raising awareness about the preventable injuries we see in our Emergency Department (ED) and providing tips for parents and caregivers to help reduce the chance of a trip to the hospital. 

At SickKids, we see over 900 kids a year come to our hospital with injuries – many of which are preventable. Falls are the most common injury we see in the ED, particularly in babies and children under four. 

For many years, the Trauma Program at SickKids has been actively working to raise awareness on injury prevention with topics ranging from safety when using ATVs and water safety to campfire and fireworks burn prevention. The team has also led and participated in various research projects related to injury prevention. 

Below are some resources to help avoid some of the most common injuries we see at SickKids in the summer:

• All-terrain vehicle (ATV) safety
• Trampoline safety
• Window safety
• Shopping cart safety
• Bike safety 
• Lawnmower safety
• Burn prevention: campfires, fire pits and fireworks
• Water safety and drowning