RLO Transcript: Home Hazards

This is a transcript of the narration for the Identification section in the Reusable Learning Object (RLO) entitled "Home Hazards", online at:

http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/nursing/sonet/rlos/placs/home_hazards

Identification

This is a reconstruction of a room visited by a health visitor working in Nottingham. 

Occupied by a family of four - a young woman with mental health problems, her partner of two months and two children aged three years and 10 days old - this first floor bedroom had been sublet by a family friend, following the family’s eviction from rented accommodation the week before Christmas. 

Filled to the brim with the woman’s possessions, it was not only very cluttered but had little natural light. As a result, it was dark and difficult to negotiate your way around.

Your task is to highlight 8 areas of concern identified by the health visitor.

1. Bottle on floor
This bottle was lying on the floor, without a teat cover. There were no sterilisation tanks visible and it appeared to be the only bottle available for the baby to use. The baby was at risk of gastro intestinal infection from microbes on the teat, and from fungal infections such as oral thrush. 
2. Cat faeces
Cat faeces can contain a parasite, Toxoplasma gondii, which causes a disease called Toxoplasmosis. Symptoms in adults are similar to a mild case of the flu and usually appear 2–3 weeks after exposure. More seriously, in pregnancy, Toxoplasmosis can adversely affect foetal development. 
Cat fleas, whilst not harmful, can cause skin irritation and/or create the conditions for secondary infection.
3. Damp walls
Damp housing has been linked with respiratory infection and asthma in the young, but until recently little evidence has been available to support this claim. Recent research, however, suggests that there may be a dose-response relationship. This means that different levels of exposure will initiate different health responses. Action to improve damp housing conditions may therefore favourably influence asthma morbidity. 
4. Hanging iron cable
The three year old could quite easily pull both the iron and the contents of the ironing board onto himself. The child is at risk of harm from burns, fractures or a crushing injury.
5. Mouldy food, dirty dishes 
The presence of mouldy pizza and dirty dishes would have little impact on health unless you are immune-deficient or allergic to mould. Both children and adults, however, are at risk of gastro intestinal infection if food contaminated in this way is ingested.
6. No crib for the baby
The Foundation for the Study of Sudden Infant Deaths suggests that co sleeping with a baby is not advisable and that the safest place for a baby to sleep is in a cot, in the parent’s or carer’s room, for the first six months of life. 
7. Smoking
Research shows us that smoking increases a child’s chances of cot death, developing asthma, earache, glue ear and respiratory tract infection. 
Most women are aware of the impact of smoking on both their own and their children’s health. However, research suggests that women from lower socio economic groupings feel smoking both reduces their own “irritability” and remains the “one thing they do for themselves”, (White, 1993).  
8. Unguarded electric fire
The electric fire is obviously unguarded and in close proximity to the bed. It could either severely burn the children or pose a serious fire hazard to the family.
Accident prevention was one of the targets identified by the government report, Saving Lives, as being important in reducing unnecessary deaths in the UK. 
Conclusion

Overcrowding and a lack of personal space are associated with psychological disorders such as stress and depression; increased threat of accident; poor home hygiene and the spread of infectious disease(s), including Tuberculosis. All are “hazards” you will have identified as you looked around the room.
The World Health Organization defines health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity,” (WHO, 1948).
This room clearly illustrates the need to consider all three elements when assessing both real and potential threats to a child or children’s health and safety.
These children were referred to social services as being at risk of significant harm. Look at the Glossary to find out more.

(Terms appearing in blue are explained further in the Glossary.)

References (additional material will be found on the Resources web page)
WHO, (1948): Preamble to the Constitution of the World Health Organization as adopted by the International Health Conference, New York, 19-22 June, 1946; signed on 22 July 1946 by the representatives of 61 States (Official Records of the World Health Organization, no. 2, p. 100) and entered into force on 7 April 1948.
White, P, (1993), ‘What’s the point of stopping’, Health matters, issue 14, summer 1993, page 7.