Reviewed by: Kate M. Cronan, MD
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Many kids get a cut from falls or using sharp objects like scissors. Some cuts can be safely treated at home. Large, gaping, and deeper cuts — or any wounds that won't stop bleeding — need medical treatment.
What to Do
If the cut is severe and you can't get your child to a hospital right away or must wait for an ambulance, begin this treatment:
- Rinse the cut or wound with water and apply pressure with sterile gauze, a bandage, or a clean cloth.
- If blood soaks through the bandage, place another bandage on top of the first and keep applying pressure.
- Raise the injured body part to slow bleeding.
- When bleeding stops, cover the wound with a new, clean bandage.
- Do not use a .
Get Medical Care if:
- the cut is deep or its edges are widely separated
- the cut continues to ooze and bleed even after applying pressure
- the injury was caused by an animal or human bite, burn, electrical injury, or puncture wound (such as a nail)
Call 911 Right Away
If Your Child:
- has a body part, such as a fingertip, that is cut off. Put the part that was cut off in a sealed plastic bag right away. Put the bag in a container with ice water.
- has a cut and the blood is spurting out and hard to control
- is bleeding so much that bandages are becoming soaked with blood
Think Prevention!
- Childproof so that infants and toddlers are less likely to fall or become injured on table corners, sharp objects, or doors that may slam shut.
- Be sure your kids wear shoes when playing outside.
- Watch teens when they are cutting with sharp knives.
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The lab instructor will provide a statement to be signed by the student confirming that the following rules and regulations have been read by the student and summarized by the lab instructor. It also indicates that the student will comply with these rules and regulations and any later additions to them. The student is advised to consult this information frequently and to inquire about points that are not clear. In any laboratory, safety is of paramount importance. The experiments you will perform are designed to minimize hazards, but dangerous materials are involved and accidents can happen. The safety rules given below are meant to prevent accidents and to minimize injuries. Failure to comply with the rules will result in penalties that may involve being ejected from the lab and given an unexcused absence and a grade of zero for the experiment(s). In labs, there is the potential for spills and splashes of corrosive chemicals and explosions involving broken glass. Getting a chemical in your eyes can be agonizing, even if it would cause no problem anywhere else on your body. (Think about soapy water!) Of course, your eyes are more susceptible to major injury than other parts of your body. For these reasons, eye protection is crucial in the laboratory. You must purchase a pair of safety goggles and bring them every week starting the second week of lab. You must wear safety goggles at all times while in the laboratory. If you wear glasses, safety goggles must be worn over them. Wearing contact lenses in lab is strongly discouraged. If you wear them, you must wear safety goggles as well. Refusal to wear eye protection will result in penalties. These can range from point deductions to dismissal from the laboratory, depending on the severity or frequency of the offense. Students are urged to dress with potential lab hazards in mind. Clothing should protect as much of the body as possible. Clothing may have to be immediately removed if grossly contaminated with chemicals or ignited. The following rules apply: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
During warm weather, this policy becomes troublesome, but will be enforced. If you arrive for lab improperly dressed, you will be given 10 minutes to obtain proper clothing and return. If you fail to do so, you will not be admitted to the laboratory. You will be considered absent without an excuse, and will receive a zero for the day's experiment(s). Do not bring excess personal items into the laboratory where they may be subject to damage or destruction. The chemistry department is not responsible for such items and cannot replace any damaged or destroyed personal items, including clothing. The easiest routes for possibly dangerous chemicals and vapors to enter the body are via inhalation or ingestion. Avoid inhalation of fumes of any kind. No eating or drinking in the laboratory. Never bring food into the lab and never taste any chemicals in the lab. Also, do not place your mouth on any piece of equipment in the laboratory. Treat all chemicals in the lab as toxic substances. Keep them off your skin and clothes. Many chemicals are thought to pose special risks to unborn children, especially during the first few months of pregnancy. To minimize this risk, consult your instructor if you are pregnant. For additional information on the properties of laboratory chemicals, consult the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) on that chemical or another resource. Full safety data on all chemicals used in the laboratory are included in their Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS). This includes toxicology, detailed first aid and proper disposal and handling instructions. MSDS sheets are available on some chemical distributor web pages or by calling any chemical distributor or manufacturer of the chemical in question. To provide quick visual information about the hazards found in certain areas, the Health-Fire-Reactivity square was developed. The square, or diamond, consists of four areas that provide information about the specific hazards of substances.
Figure 1
The four diamond colored label appears on many chemicals and solutions. Three of the four squares contain National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) codes identifying the relative risks. The codes range from 0 (lowest risk) to 4 (greatest risk). Please see the inset for more details on the NFPA square. Familiarize yourself with the square and be aware of the hazard information it provides. If you look around as you visit various retail shops (hardware stores, automotive repair shops, swimming pool dealers) you will see these squares. You will also see them posted at various sites in the chemistry laboratory. To prevent accidents in mixing of chemicals, you should always label your glassware according to its contents. Labels are provided in the lab for this purpose. On the label, include:-
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the name of the chemical or chemicals -
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the concentration (if known) -
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the solvent (what it is dissolved in) -
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the date -
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your name or initials