13 Living Safely and First Aid

Expected Learning Outcomes

Knowledge to be gained : • Safety rules • First aid • First aid ps
Skill to be developed : • How to give first aid to an injured person.
A tude to be inculcated : • Follow safety rules everywhere.

SAFETY RULES
Accidents may happen anytime, anywhere without giving any warning. Accident victims
suffer a great deal of pain. Most of the accidents occur due to our carelessness and ignorance
of the safety rules.
In Class III and IV, we have learnt some safety rules that we must follow all the time. Do you
remember them?
Always remember the golden rule: Prevention is better than cure.
Let us do a quick revision of those rules with the help of the pictures given below:

Some of the Basic Safety Rules:

3 7 3

Watch carefully and follow Do not play with sharp and Always refuse to eat or drink
the traffic rules while pointed objects. things given by strangers as it
walking on a road. might contain harmful things.

3 7 7

Always walk on the footpath

and cross the road at Do not tease animals. Never get in or get down from a
the zebra crossing. moving bus or train.
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FIRST AID
A person who has met with an accident needs immediate attention. e immediate help
given to an injured person is called rst aid. First aid is the rst medical help given to an
injured person before the doctor arrives.
It can:
Ÿ relieve pain till the doctor arrives, such as in case of a fracture.
Ÿ save a life, such as in case of poisoning.
Ÿ prevent the condition of the victim from getting worse, such as in case of bleeding.

CHECK YOURSELF
Tick (3) the correct option:
1. We should follow safety rules ________________.
(a) only in the school (b) only on the road (c) everywhere

2. We should walk ________________.

(a) on the road (b) on the pavement (c) anywhere

3. We should not eat things given by ________________.

(a) our friends (b) strangers (c) our parents

FIRST AID TIPS

Follow the rst aid tips given below in case of an emergency:
Ÿ Keep the injured person and yourself calm.
Do not panic or crowd around the person
who is hurt. Let him/her breathe freely.
Ÿ Make the victim comfortable and let
him/her lie down comfortably on an even
surface.
Ÿ Do not try to move the injured person if
he/she has suffered a fracture. is can
cause more damage.
Ÿ If the injured person is bleeding then clean the wound with cotton, clean water or an
antiseptic lotion (Dettol or Savlon). Always apply sterilised dressing. Remember not to
touch the wound with your ngers as germs can enter the body through the wound.
Ÿ In case of a burn, pour clean cold water on the affected part or apply some ice. is will
ease the feeling of burn. Apply some cooling antiseptic cream with a pad of cotton. If the
burn is severe, consult the doctor immediately.
Ÿ In case of an insect bite, wash the affected part with lime water. Place ice over it and apply
some antiseptic cream there.
Let us study about these in detail:
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 Insect Bites
Bees and wasps are the common insects which sting. It can be very painful. Do the following
to help a victim of insect bite:
Ÿ First try to remove the sting.
Ÿ Apply ice to reduce pain and
swelling.
Ÿ Apply a paste of cold cream and
baking soda on the area where
the insect has stung. Treating an insect bite
Cuts and Wounds
Even a minor wound or cut should not be neglected. In case of minor cuts and wounds, you
should do the following:
Ÿ Wash the wound with clean water to remove the unwanted particles.
Ÿ Dry it and apply a disinfectant like Dettol to remove the germs from the wound.
Ÿ Apply some antiseptic cream and cover it with a gauze.
Ÿ Dress the wound daily till the wound heals.

1 2 3

Do Turmeric (Haldi) is an
You ? excellent an bio c. It
Know can be used to cure
minor cuts and wounds.
4 5
Treating a cut
Burns
Hot things, boiling water, steam, re crackers or chemicals like acids can cause burns.
In case of minor burns:
Ÿ Pour cold water on the burnt place.
Ÿ Apply an antiseptic cream like Burnol or Silverex on the burnt area.

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 1 2 3 4
Treating a burn
In case of severe burns:
If the skin becomes red and blisters are formed upon it:
Ÿ Apply some antiseptic and cover the burnt area with a clean cloth so that the wound does
not come in contact with the germs.
Ÿ If the clothes of the victim have caught re then cover the person with a blanket to put off
the re.
Ÿ Make the victim lie down in an open place and do not let people gather around him/her.
Ÿ Remove the burnt clothes except the ones sticking to the affected area.
Ÿ Rush the victim to the hospital.

Nose Bleeding
In case of continuous bleeding from the nose,
do the following:
Ÿ Pinch the nose by using your thumb and
the fore nger for about 10-12 minutes to
check the ow of blood.
Ÿ Apply an ice-pack or wet cloth on the nose
to reduce bleeding.

Animal Bites
Bi ng of dogs or cats
Dogs are the most common pet animals, and equally Do
common are the occurrences of dog bites. In case of a You ? can cause rabies, a fatal
but preventable viral
dog bite, you can do certain things: Know disease.
Ÿ Wash the wound with an disinfectant soap and clean
water.
Ÿ Cover the wound with sterile gauze and bandage.
Ÿ Take the victim to a doctor.
Ÿ Give the victim an anti-rabies injection if the doctor
recommends so.
Many people die every year because of snake bites. Venom injected by a snake mixes with
the blood and affects the heart and brain of the victim. To slow down the circulation of

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 blood, a tight bandage is tied near the bite. A doctor should be consulted at once. It is always
better to take precautions when you walk through areas where snakes are found.
FIRST AID BOX
You must have a rst aid box ready at home and in your school. A rst aid box should contain
the following items: clean cotton, some clean cloth, an antiseptic lotion, a pair of scissors,
bandages and band-aids.
Remember to make a list of the phone numbers of people you can call for help and stick it on
the box.

ANTIBIOTIC
LOTION

ANTISEPTIC
WIPES

MASK

CREPE THERMOMETER
BANDAGE FIRST AID BOX TORCH
BAND-AID

ANTISEPTIC
ANTIBIOTICS
STICKY TAPE

COTTON
GLOVES PAD
INSTANT
COLD PACK

SCISSORS

First Aid Box

New words
Ex nguish : to put off fire
Bandage : a strip of woven material used to cover a wound

SUMMARY
v Most of the accidents occur due to our carelessness and ignorance of the safety rules.
v The immediate help given to an injured person is called first aid.
v Even a minor cut or wound should not be neglected.
v Pour cold water on the burnt skin.
v Bees and wasps are common insects which sting.
v Biting of dogs and cats can cause rabies, a fatal but preventable viral disease.

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 Exercise
A. True or False:
1. A tight bandage is tied near the snake bite to slow down
the spread of poison. _________
2. A fractured part can be moved freely. _________
3. Pain can be lessened by cooling the burnt area with ice or water. _________
4. There is no need to call the doctor after you have been given the
first aid. _________
5. Use of antiseptic cream prevents infection. _________
B. Answer the following questions:
1. How do accidents occur?
2. What are the causes of re accidents?
3. Why should we follow safety rules everywhere?
C. Select the best alternative for each of the following:
1. In our houses, we should put sharp objects ________________.
(i) on bed
(ii) within the reach of children
(iii) beyond the reach of children
(iv) none of the above
2. What should we do rst, in case of fracture?
(i) Move the person.
(ii) Crowd around the injured person.
(iii) Lie down the person comfortably.
(iv) None of the above.
3. What should we do when a person is bitten by an insect?
(i) wash the affected part with lime water.
(ii) wash the affected part with sweetened water.
(iii) wash the affected part with salty water.
(iv) none of the above.
D. Fill in the blanks:
1. Accidents occur because of _____________ and ignorance of _____________.
2. To avoid accidents, one should be ________________ and ________________.

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 3. Damaged or broken bone is called a ________________.
4. Biting of dogs and cats may cause ________________.
5. A small wound should be cleaned with an ________________.
E. Answer the following questions in your own words:
1. List two safety rules which should be followed while crossing a road.
2. What is rst aid? List any three general tips of rst aid.
3. What kind of rst aid should be given to a victim of severe burns?
4. What will you do if one is bitten by a dog?
5. How would you help someone with a bleeding nose?
F. Match the following:

1. Sprains (a) cover the victim with a blanket and ask him to
roll on the ground.

2. Fractures (b) wash the area under running water and apply
ice.

3. Burns (c) apply an ice pack and do not move the joint.

4. Animal bites (d) use a splint and do not move the bone.

5. Fire (e) wash the affected area with soap, clean water
and apply an antiseptic cream.

Activity Time
A. Preparing a rst aid box is the rst step towards preparing oneself for an emergency
care. A rst aid box should include the following things:
• Bandages • Crepe bandages
• Sticking tape • Cotton
• Disinfectant like Dettol, Savlon, etc. • Gauze
• Scissors • An antiseptic cream like burnol, etc.
• ermometer • Some antibiotics and pain killers.
Collect these things and make a rst aid box for your home.

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 Let Us Visit
Visit a construction site with an elder in your
family. Observe safety precautions taken by the
workers at the site.
For example, wearing construction helmets,
wearing re ective safety vests, putting up safety
nets, etc. Ask for a Safety Manual from the
supervisor or the guard at the site.

Be a young
Researcher
Have you noticed the various traffic symbols?
Apart from usual traffic lights on the intersection of roads, you will also nd many more
traffic symbols. For example, if you approach a hospital, you will nd a symbol which warns
the motorists not to honk. Near a school, you will nd another one which tells motorists to
be careful as there is a school nearby. On hilly areas, you will nd many more traffic signals
that are not found in plains. On highways, you will nd speed limits.
Find out about the different traffic signals. Now take a chart and make a poster on Traffic
Signals. In one column, draw the signals and in another column write their meanings.

Subject Link : English

Road Safety Week is observed from January
11th to January 17th every year. It aims at
making the roads and streets in India safer. STOP
During this week-long yearly campaign, the
government spreads awareness about how to WAIT
drive safely to avoid accidents and injuries.
Find out more about Road Safety Week and GO
write an essay on Road Safety.

FOOTNOTE
The objective of this lesson is to give the students some basic knowledge of some of the safety rules and how to use first aid.

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