SAFETY. This digital version was purchased at scoutstuff.org. A Scout is Trustworthy. Please don't copy.

Transcription

1 SAFETY

2 How to Use This Pamphlet The secret to successfully earig a merit badge is for you to use both the pamphlet ad the suggestios of your couselor. Your couselor ca be as importat to you as a coach is to a athlete. Use all of the resources your couselor ca make available to you. This may be the best chace you will have to lear about this particular subject. Make it cout. If you or your couselor feels that ay iformatio i this pamphlet is icorrect, please let us kow. Please state your source of iformatio. Merit badge pamphlets are reprited aually ad requiremets updated regularly. Your suggestios for improvemet are welcome. Sed commets alog with a brief statemet about yourself to Youth Developmet, S209 Boy Scouts of America 1325 West Walut Hill Lae P.O. Box Irvig, TX Who Pays for This Pamphlet? This merit badge pamphlet is oe i a series of more tha 100 coverig all kids of hobby ad career subjects. It is made available for you to buy as a service of the atioal ad local coucils, Boy Scouts of America. The costs of the developmet, writig, ad editig of the merit badge pamphlets are paid for by the Boy Scouts of America i order to brig you the best book at a reasoable price.

3 BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA MERIT BADGE SERIES SAfety

4 Requiremets 1. Explai what safety is ad what it meas to be safe. The prepare a otebook to iclude: a. Newspaper ad other stories, facts, ad statistics showig commo types ad causes of ijuries i the home ad i the workplace, ad how these ijuries could be preveted b. Newspaper ad other stories, facts, ad statistics showig commo types of crimes ad ways to avoid beig a crime victim c. Facts you have obtaied cocerig the frequecy of accidets ad of crimes i your local area d. A paragraph or more, writte by you, explaiig how a serious fire, accidet, or crime could chage your family life e. A list of safe practices ad safety devices curretly used by your family, such as safety practices used while drivig or workig ad safety devices that prevet ijuries or help i a emergecy 2. Do the followig: a. Usig a safety checklist approved by your couselor, make a ispectio of your home. Explai the hazards foud ad how these ca be corrected. b. Review or develop your family s pla of escape i case of fire i your home. As you develop the escape pla with family members, share with them facts about the commo causes of fire i the home, such as smokig, cookig, electrical appliaces, ad cadles DIG ISBN Boy Scouts of America 2011 Digital Editio

5 3. Do the followig: a. Discuss with your couselor how you cotribute to the safety of yourself, your family, ad your commuity. b. Show your family members how to protect themselves ad your home from accidets, fire, burglary, robbery, ad assault. c. Discuss with your couselor the tips for olie safety. Explai the steps idividuals ca take to help prevet idetity theft. d. Discuss with your couselor the three R s of Youth Protectio ad how to recogize child abuse. 4. Show your family the exits you would use from differet public buildigs (such as a theater, muicipal buildig, library, supermarket, shoppig ceter, or your place of worship) i the evet of a emergecy. Teach your family what to do i the evet that they eed to take shelter i or evacuate a public place. 5. Make a accidet prevetio pla for five family activities outside the home (at your place of worship, at a theater, o a picic, at the beach, ad while travelig, for example). Each pla should iclude a aalysis of possible hazards, proposed actio to correct hazards, ad reasos for the correctio you propose i each pla. 6. Pla ad complete a safety project approved by your couselor for your home, school, place of worship, place of employmet, or commuity. Iclude i your pla a explaatio of the U.S. Departmet of Homelad Security s Advisory System ad appropriate actios to take for each threat level. 7. Lear about three career opportuities i the field of safety. Pick oe career ad fid out the educatio, traiig, ad experiece required for this professio. Discuss this choice with your couselor, ad explai why this professio might iterest you. Safety 3

6

7 Cotets Why Be Safe?...7 Safety From Crimials...16 Safety o the Road...29 Safety i Your Home...38 Safety Olie Safety i Public Places...59 Safety Plas ad Projects...69 Careers i Safety...75 Safety Resources...78 Left: A lookout watches out for the safety of swimmers. Safety 5

8

9 .Why Be Safe? Why Be Safe? Whatever your reasos for watig to ear this Safety merit badge, the kowledge you gai ca help you prevet accidets ad respod appropriately durig a emergecy situatio. What you lear while workig o this merit badge ca prepare you to make the right choices ad to take the best actios so that you ca help keep yourself ad others safe. This merit badge will describe commo safety practices. Although it caot cover every possible situatio, this pamphlet will teach you how to help protect yourself from crimials, idetify safety hazards ad how to correct them, ad take the best possible actios to keep yourself ad others safe. Safety is part of doig your duty for your coutry. You practice safety whe you actively seek to prevet accidets or ward off dager. Safety is about takig precautios stoppig ijury or loss before it happes. Whe you go hikig, always tell someoe where you are goig ad whe you pla to retur. Safety 7

10 Why Be Safe?. Next time you are told to be careful with electricity, remember that you are six times more likely to die from electric shock tha from all the veomous sakes, horets, ad eve killer bees combied. You ad Your Actios You will fid may usafe coditios i your daily life. However, most of them become hazards oly as a result of your actios whe you take uecessary risks. What might cause you to act i a usafe way? Takig chaces ( We were just foolig aroud. ) Beig uprepared ( I did t thik we d eed flashlights ad batteries. ) Fatigue ( We were goig to rest whe we got there. ) Overcofidece ( I was sure I could swim a mile. ) Haste ( I did t have time to fid a choppig block to cut this o. ) Fear ( I was so scared, I could t move. ) Excitemet ( We did t wat to miss the kickoff, so we told Joe to step o the gas. ) Igorig the rules or sigs ( Sure, the sig said No swimmig, but I felt like swimmig. ) Not usig commo sese ( I did t realize I had to kow how to swim to use a caoe. ) The lure of the forbidde ( I did t kow the gu was loaded. ) Not takig resposibility ( No oe ever told me that could happe. ) Nearly half of all accidetal deaths occur i motor vehicle accidets. 8 Safety

11 .Why Be Safe? Always take a momet to cosider whether your actios are safe for you ad others. The time you sped is short but it could save a life! Accidet Facts ad Statistics Do you feel safer ridig i a car or flyig i a plae? If you picked ridig i a car, thik agai. Recet statistics show that passegers were 40 times more likely to die i a car crash tha i a plae crash. This fact shows the importace of safety every time you ride i a car. Facts ad statistics reveal potetial risks ad the importace of certai safety practices. O average, there are 12 accidetal deaths ad about 1,000 disablig ijuries every hour of every day. (A disablig ijury is oe that results i lost time i the victim s place of employmet or that leaves the victim too ijured to retur to work.) About half of these deaths occur i motor vehicle accidets. More tha a third of the ijuries occur i the home. Safety experts classify accidets i four broad categories: motor vehicle, work, home, ad public. The public category icludes accidets ivolvig sports ad recreatio, swimmig, ad hutig. This category also icludes air, water, ad lad trasportatio (such as plaes, boats, ad trais). It excludes motor vehicles ad accidets i public buildigs. Safety 9

12 Why Be Safe?. Here are statistics give by the Natioal Safety Coucil for Notice the differeces i the umbers of deaths ad disablig ijuries i the four categories. Deaths i 2004 Due to Exteral Causes* From the Natioal Safety Coucil Deaths Motor vehicles (lad) 44,933 Occupats of motor vehicles 35,204 Poisoig icludig drugs, alcohol, ad gases 20,950 Falls 18,807 Pedestrias hit by vehicles 5,976 Suffocatio ihalatio or igested object 4,470 Motorcycles 4,018 Drowigs 3,308 Fires, flames, smoke 3,229 Natural (weather-related) forces 1,102 Bicycles 843 Water travel 574 Electric shock 382 Poisoous plats ad veomous aimals 81 (sakes, spiders, bees) *This table is simplified for clarity. The complete table is available at The umbers are approximate because the figures are estimates, ot the fial results. 10 Safety

13 Do t Be a DIP (a Distracted, Iattetive Perso).Why Be Safe? Most people have laughed at the difficulty of pattig their heads ad rubbig their bellies at the same time. Coordiatio ad cocetratio are vital to do both tasks successfully at oce. Drivig safely requires lots of cocetratio ad focus. Distractios iterfere with a driver s ability to otice ad respod to chagig situatios that could lead to a accidet. Driver iattetio is a cotributig factor i may traffic crashes. Several states have laws that prohibit careless or iattetive drivig. How do drivers get distracted? A few of the thigs that ca break a driver s cocetratio iclude tryig to catch or clea up a spill, talkig with passegers, tuig the radio, shavig or applyig makeup, havig urestraied aimals i the car, readig a map, cosultig computerized avigatio systems, ad usig a mobile telephoe. Keep these distractios to a miimum by pullig over the car ay time the driver must pay attetio to aythig but the road. Mobile Telephoes While there s o shortage of driver distractios that ca lead to accidets, motorists usig mobile telephoes while they re drivig have created a particularly widespread problem. The safety beefits of mobile telephoes are may. Calls are ofte made to report a disabled vehicle, accidets, hazardous road coditios, medical emergecies, ad crimes i progress. However, usig the telephoe while drivig iterferes with the coordiatio ad cocetratio required for a safe trip. Safety 11

14 Why Be Safe?. Number of Occupatioal Ijuries ad Illesses Ivolvig Days Away From Work for Selected Natures, 2006 Type of Ijury or Illess From the Bureau of Labor Statistics Number of Ijuries or Illesses Sprais, strais 472,740 Bruises, cotusios 101,260 Cuts, laceratios 99,460 Fractures 94,110 Multiple ijuries 45,890 Heat burs 17,440 Carpal tuel sydrome 13,010 Amputatios 7,990 Chemical burs 7,490 Tedoitis 4,750 As a Scout, you will most likely participate i some type of emergecy preparedess drill, much like the oe show here. 12 Safety

15 .Why Be Safe? Do you kow someoe with a broke boe? Ask the perso how it happeed. Ask yourself how this accidet could have bee preveted. Do t Be a Statistic It is ot hard to imagie yourself becomig part of the accidet statistics. Just read the daily ewspaper or watch the ews o TV. Not a day goes by without a story about some victim who was hurt or killed i a accidet. However, learig good safety habits may help prevet a accidet. Try to mix the followig safety igrediets with your favorite activities. Seek Kowledge ad Skill. Kow whe you eed to use tools or take actios to help you do a activity more safely. For istace, a begier takig a shop class might igore safety guards or ot use a holder to safely drill a piece of wood. The ovice risks losig figers ad wids up with a rejected piece of work. However, the more experieced woodworker uses safety guards ad wears safety goggles to help esure a safe experiece. By followig proper precautios, this woodworker turs out a perfect piece without ay accidets. Be Prepared. The safety-coscious mid thiks ahead. To have a safer ad more pleasat experiece, lear how to use the right tools. For a safe ad ejoyable outig, pla your trip, check the weather, ad go prepared. Kow ad Accept Your Limitatios. Learig as much as you ca about a activity or sport will help you to ejoy it more safely. For example, swimmers should kow ad uderstad the hazards of swimmig. O a hike or a campig trip, which kid of Scout are you, the Scout who just picks up his pack without checkig its cotets or the Scout who plas ad prepares? Safety 13

16 Why Be Safe?. Liftig ad Carryig Heavy Objects If ot doe correctly, liftig or carryig heavy boxes ad other items ca hurt your back. Follow these safety steps to help keep your back healthy. Make sure your footig is solid. Stad so that the object is close to you. Keep your back straight. Pull i your stomach ad lift by straighteig your legs. Lift usig your strog leg muscles ot your weak back muscles. Get help if the object is too heavy or bulky. Do ot try to carry aythig that is too heavy for you. 14 Safety

17 .Why Be Safe? Learig how drugs ca affect you may help prevet accidets. Of course, do ot take illegal drugs i the first place. Also, avoid people who do drugs, because they ca be violet ad are usafe drivers. Newspaper Stories As you collect clippigs about accidets i the home ad workplace, look for stories that give you clues about usafe coditios or acts that caused these accidets. Doig so will help you determie how these accidets could have bee preveted. Similarly, as you look for iformatio about crimes i your eighborhood, try to fid out what made the crimes possible. Were widows left ope? Could deadbolt locks o doors have preveted burglaries? Safety 15

18 Safety From Crimials. Safety From Crimials Studies have show that most burglars will attempt etry for oly two miutes. Burglars fear beig see eterig a home, so lightig, visibility, ad slowig their etry will discourage them. Years ago, may people left their homes ulocked, day ad ight. Today, we ot oly lock all doors ad widows i our homes, but some also istall alarm systems for added security. Millios of burglaries ad other crimes are reported to law eforcemet officers every year. What ca you do to help keep yourself ad your family safe from crimials? Oe importat step that you ad your parets ca take to help protect your home is to coduct the followig home security survey. To help protect your family ad prevet a crimial from kickig i or pryig ope the door, istall 3-ich screws i the exterior door strike plates. 16 Safety

19 Survey Your Home Ecourage your parets or guardias to take this Home Security Survey Quiz with you. If you ca aswer yes to a questio, give yourself 1 poit. Every checkmark i the o colum shows a weak poit that could help a burglar. By elimiatig o checks, you improve your home ad persoal security..safety From Crimials Home Security Survey Quiz Yes No 1. Do you keep a list of all valuable property? Is this list made i duplicate, with at least oe copy kept i a place outside your home? (I case of fire or burglary, the list will provide iformatio ecessary for isurace claims ad police reports.) 2. Do you have a list of credit card umbers ad the serial umbers of your valuable property (cameras, computers, TVs, stereo equipmet)? Is the list i a secure locatio? 3. Do you have a descriptio ad a photograph of all valuables that do ot have a idetifyig umber? Is this list kept i a safe deposit box? It is importat to have your paret s or guardia s driver s licese umber egraved o valuable property that might be stole. Numbers ca be egraved oto metal objects or marked with permaet markers o other materials. May police departmets ad sheriff s offices have egravig pes available for you to borrow. 4. Do you avoid uecessary displays of, or publicity about, your valuables? (For example, a ewspaper story about your valuable coi collectio could also catch a thief s eye.) 5. Do you keep excess cash ad other valuables i a bak? (Retig a safe-deposit box is a small ivestmet compared with the potetial loss from theft or fire.) 6. Do you have a security closet with a solid-core door, pied or oremovable higes, ad a deadbolt lock? Or a secure, fire-resistat safe? (Use a security closet or safe to store thigs of value.) Safety 17

20 Safety From Crimials. Yes No 7. Do you pla so that you do ot eed to hide a house key uder the doormat or i a similar locatio? (It is safer to leave your house key with a close fried or reliable eighbor so that a burglar osig aroud will ot fid it.) 8. Do your family members kow what to do if they discover a burglar breakig i or already i your house? (If you retur to your home ad fid sigs that it has bee etered, do ot go iside. Phoe the police or sheriff from a eighbor s home. If you eter your home ad fid a burglar iside, expect the itruder to be frighteed ad dagerous. Never struggle with a burglar uless you are i dager of serious physical harm ad you are forced to defed yourself. Scream ad kick use your hads, feet, ad teeth to fight off your attacker. Target paiful poits, icludig eyes, throat, temple, ose, chi, groi, kees, shis, ad isteps. Make a weapo of keys, pes, pecils, or aythig sharp.) 9. If they discover that a burglary has bee committed, do family members kow to leave everythig udisturbed ad call the sheriff or police? (It is importat that evidece ot be moved or otherwise disturbed util police have checked it.) 10. Are your trees ad shrubs trimmed to elimiate hidig places? (Remember that shrubbery that provides privacy also gives a burglar a place to hide.) 11. Have you made it difficult for burglars to eter a upper floor of your home by lockig up ladders ad elimiatig trellises ad draipipes that could be used as ladders? 12. Is the outside of your home well lit, icludig a porch light with at least a 60-watt bulb? (Light yards, widows, ad each exterior doorway to elimiate dark hidig places. Bur porch lights from dusk util daw with a 60-watt bulb. Cosider istallig photoelectric o-off or motio-sesor devices. I rural areas that have o streetlights, electric compaies ofte will give group discouts to customers who wat to istall security lightig.) 13. Is your house umber easily visible from the street at ay hour? (Drivers of emergecy vehicles prefer umbers paited o the curb.) 18 Safety

21 .Safety From Crimials Yes No 14. Do you have emergecy telephoe umbers listed o every phoe? (I most areas of the coutry, the 911 phoe umber will coect you with emergecy services. Ofte, a computer immediately displays your address to the dispatcher who aswers your call.) 15. Do you use good telephoe security procedures? (Never give persoal iformatio such as your ame, age, or address to a strager over the telephoe. Never let stragers o the phoe kow whe you will or will ot be home. Never tell a strager o the phoe that you are home aloe. Istead, tell the caller, My mom ca t come to the phoe right ow. May I take a message? ) Be sure you have a pla to help esure your family has telephoe access i case the electricity goes out or if the phoe lies go dow. At ight, light etryways to discourage burglars from hidig there. Doors ad Etry Areas 16. Are your exterior doors metal or made of solid-core costructio? (A hollow-core door is fragile. Two blows with a hammer ad a burglar could break through a hollow door, reach i, ad ulock the door from iside. Replace hollow-core exterior doors with metal or solid doors wheever possible.) 17. Do your etry doors have wide-agle viewers called peepholes? (A peephole lets you see the visitor before decidig whether to ope the door.) Safety 19

22 Safety From Crimials. Hardware o these home security devices should be accessible from iside the house oly. Home Security Devices Thumb-tur deadlock Rotatig cylider guard 1 ich Pied hige Drill a 3 4-ich-deep hole through the opeig i the opposite hige plate o the door. As the door closes, the pi i the jamb will eter the hole i the door ad hold the door i positio eve if the hige pis are removed. Slidig-door stop Double cylider deadlock Pi 1 ich Eyebolt Woode dowel or broomstick Pied widow Operated from iside Heavy bolt 20 Safety

23 .Safety From Crimials Yes No 18. Are the locks o your doors secure from beig opeed if a burglar breaks out a pae of glass or a pael of lightweight wood? (This situatio calls for a lock that ca be opeed oly from the iside with a key. Some commuities do ot permit this type of lock because it ca prevet escape from a fire if the key is ot i place. If you use this type of lock, be sure to leave the key i the lock whe ayoe is at home. Remove the key oly whe the home is empty.) 19. Do exterior doors have cylider-type deadbolt locks with at least a 1-ich throw ad a beveled cylider guard? 20. Do doors without cylider locks have a heavy bolt or some similar security device that ca be operated from the iside oly? 21. Ca all of your doors (basemet, porch, slidig, Frech, balcoy) be securely locked? 22. Do your basemet doors have locks that allow you to isolate that part of your home? (Basemet widows are amog the easiest for a burglar to eter udetected. If your basemet is securely locked from the rest of your home, a burglar s activities might remai limited to that area.) 23. Are all of your locks i good repair? 24. Are door strike plates istalled with 3-ich screws? (Three-ich screws will reach the stud iside the wall.) 25. Do you kow everyoe who has a key to your home? (Do ot carry house keys o the same rig as car keys. It is very easy to leave the keys together whe the car is i a garage for repairs or left i a commercial parkig lot where a attedat parks cars. Ayoe who hadles your house keys ca easily have duplicates made.) 26. Do all out-swigig doors i your home have the higes pied or have oremovable pis? (If they do ot have oremovable pis, you ca easily pi a door so that it caot be opeed eve if the hige pis are removed. See the illustratio of the pied hige.) 27. Are etry areas free of shrubbery ad decoratios that limit visibility? 28. Do slidig doors have a lock that locks both the door paels together or locks the active side to the frame? (You ca place a woode dowel or broomstick i the floor track to prevet a slidig door from opeig.) Safety 21

24 Safety From Crimials. Yes No 29. Is the garage door secured with a padlock, hasp, or other good lock? (Eve garage doors with electric opeers eed separate locks. I a double-car garage with a sigle log door, it is importat to place a lock o each side of the door to keep a burglar from pullig out oe side ad crawlig through.) 30. Do you lock your garage door ad the door betwee your house ad garage at ight? Do all family members kow how to ulock these doors i case of emergecy? 31. Do you lock your garage door ad the door betwee your house ad garage whe you leave home? 32. Do you lock your car ad remove the keys eve whe it is parked i your garage? Burglar or Robber? A robbery is whe the thief attacks someoe face-toface, such as stealig a perso s wallet. A burglary is whe a thief breaks ito a buildig or home to commit a crime. Yes No Widows 33. Are all widows i your home equipped with key locks or pied? (You ca secure a slidig widow with a rod i the same way as a slidig door.) 34. Are widow locks properly ad securely mouted? 35. Do you keep your widows locked whe they are shut? 36. Do you use locks that let you lock a widow left partly ope? 37. Have you replaced or secured louvered widows? (Cosider replacig louvered widows; burglars fid them easy to eter. If you caot replace a louvered widow, use epoxy glue to secure the louver to its frame.) 38. If you live i a area with a high burglary rate, do you use widow bars or orametal grilles? (Take care that bars or grilles do ot create a escape hazard i the evet of a fire. They must have a iside quick-release mechaism that allows those iside to swig the grilles out i a emergecy.) 39. Do you have secure locks o garage widows? 40. Do you cover garage widows with curtais? (Curtais o garage widows keep burglars from widow shoppig the items i your garage.) 41. Are you as careful to secure basemet ad secod-story widows as you are to secure widows o the first floor? 22 Safety

25 .Safety From Crimials Whe you go o a trip, ask a fried or eighbor to keep a eye o your home. Goig Out of Tow 42. Do you arrage for frieds or eighbors to pick up ewspapers, mail, ad other deliveries each day? (For exteded abseces, cotact the U.S. Postal Service at to hold your mail ad susped delivery from three to 30 days.) 43. Do you otify a eighbor that you will be goe? (Leave a key with a fried or eighbor, ad ask that your home be checked every so ofte.) 44. Do you otify your police or sheriff that you will be goe? (I some commuities, you may request a house check service through the law eforcemet agecy while you are out of tow.) 45. Do you arrage to make your home look lived-i while you are away? (Leave some widow shades up or curtais ope so that your home does ot look deserted. Have someoe periodically ope ad close drapes ad tur differet lights o ad off, or use timers to operate lights, so that the house appears occupied. Cosider askig frieds or relatives to live i your home while you are away. Leave a car i the driveway, or ask eighbors to park i your driveway. Ask a eighbor to put some trash i your trash cas. Arrage to keep your law mowed.) Yes No Safety 23

26 Safety From Crimials. Yes No 46. Do you check to make sure your telephoe aswerig machie is workig? (Be sure the aswerig message ever gives iformatio that you will be away from home. Just have it say you caot come to the phoe.) 47. Do you store your valuables i a secure place while you are goe, such as a safe-deposit box i a bak? Safety Away From Home Use the followig tips for stayig safe ad protectig your property whe you are away from home: Never carry large amouts of cash or flash a wad of bills where it ca be see. Do ot resist a armed robber. Had over your wallet ad other valuables quickly ad quietly. Avoid dark streets. Walk with a compaio wheever possible. Stay away from dark alleys, bushes, ad ay other place that could coceal a attacker. Lock all car doors ad keep them locked while the vehicle is i motio. Lock your car every time you leave it. Whe you retur to your car, look i, uder, ad aroud it to be sure o attacker is lyig i wait. Store valuables i your car truk. Valuables are less likely to be stole whe thieves caot see them through car widows. Never pick up hitchhikers. You caot tell by lookig whether a perso is harmless or dagerous. 24 Safety

27 .Safety From Crimials If a attacker grabs your wrist, spi your arm i a circular movemet toward the attacker s thumb to free yourself. Try it with a fried, ad the teach it to youger childre. Take a critical look at your home security every three or four moths. If you would like professioal help for a home security ispectio, call your local law eforcemet agecy. If someoe grabs you while you are ridig your bike, hold oto your bike. This makes you very bulky ad heavy too heavy to drag off. Yell, You are ot my mom or dad! to call attetio to passersby. Protectig Yourself I today s society, you eed to kow how to protect yourself agaist abuse or abductio. There are more tha 3 millio reports of child abuse each year. If you have youger brothers or sisters, talk with your parets about the dagers of childre talkig with stragers or acceptig rides from stragers. Abductors ofte lure childre by offerig cady, claimig their family has a emergecy, askig for directios, or askig for help fidig a pet. They sometimes eve use phoy police or other badges. Safety 25

28 Safety From Crimials. Three R s of Youth Protectio 1. Recogize that ayoe could be a child molester. Be aware of situatios that could lead to abuse. 2. Resist advaces made by child molesters to avoid beig abused. 3. Report ay molestatio or attempted molestatio to parets or other trusted adults. What Is Child Abuse? The first step to stoppig child abuse is beig able to recogize it. There are four basic kids of abuse: physical, emotioal, eglect, ad sexual. Physical child abuse is itetioal ijury to a child from a caregiver, guardia, paret, or other adult. Physical abuse ofte stems from ureasoable puishmet, or from puishmet that is too harsh for the child. Emotioal child abuse occurs whe a adult eedlessly hurts a child s self-esteem. A adult s words may correct or istruct but should ever ridicule, reject, wrogly blame, or compare with sibligs. This type of abuse is more difficult to recogize because the bruises are ot left o the ski but o the child s ego. Neglect happes whe the perso the child depeds o, like a paret or guardia, deliberately (ot because they are uderprivileged) fails to provide for the child s basic eeds. Basic eeds iclude showig affectio ad providig food, clothig, shelter, medical care, educatio, ad supervisio. Sexual child abuse is whe a adult or older child, called a molester, forces or maipulates a child to be ivolved i a sexual activity. This ca be ay activity performed for the sexual pleasure of the molester, from exposig sex orgas to fodlig or eve rape. Ofte the molester is someoe the child kows ad trusts. Molesters usually try to threate or bribe childre to keep them quiet. If someoe or some situatio makes you or aother child feel ucomfortable, trust your isticts. Get away from the situatio ad talk to your parets or aother trusted adult, such as a teacher. 26 Safety

29 .Safety From Crimials What Else Ca You Do? There are some precautios you ca take to stay safe. First, obey laws yourself. Avoid questioable situatios that might tempt you to break the law. You should also set a good example for others, especially youger sibligs ad frieds. Cooperate fully with law eforcemet officials; be willig to swear out complaits ad appear as a witess. Report suspicious activities, such as a ufamiliar car drivig slowly through the eighborhood. Fially, participate i a Neighborhood Watch program. Neighborhood Watch groups are established i eighborhoods by law eforcemet agecies workig together with citizes. Traied police officers meet with citizes ad discuss how people ca protect themselves ad their property from crimials. The police ecourage citizes i a Neighborhood Watch program to be cocered about the safety of the etire eighborhood. They ask residets to report uusual activities ad stragers i the area stragers who might be casig a home (watchig the home closely) before a robbery. As citizes become ivolved i lookig out for the safety of others, their etire eighborhood becomes safer. For more iformatio o prevetig crime ad gettig a Neighborhood Watch group started, see the Crime Prevetio merit badge pamphlet. Residets i Neighborhood Watch commuities lear how to recogize ad report suspicious activities ad keep their homes secure. Safety 27

30 Always wear a helmet while ridig a bike.

31 .Safety o the Road Safety o the Road Road safety is a subject big eough to fill several books. There is ot room i this pamphlet for every detail that you eed to kow. Be sure to check other pamphlets i the merit badge series, especially Crime Prevetio, Cyclig, Railroadig, ad Traffic Safety. Pedestria Safety Whe a pedestria ad a car have a accidet, the pedestria does ot wi. More tha 6,000 people die i pedestria accidets each year. Use the followig pedestria rules every time you take a walk: Cross streets oly at itersectios. Do ot jaywalk. At itersectios with traffic lights, cross oly o gree, or whe there is a walk sig lighted. Look both ways for cars, ad look aroud the corer before steppig off the curb. Eve at cotrolled itersectios, be especially careful whe crossig i frot of a car that is makig a righthad tur. It s always best to make eye cotact with the driver before you cross the street. Safety 29

32 Safety o the Road. For added protectio ad sure footig, walk with closed-toed shoes. Cross streets quickly, but do ot ru. Cross oly at desigated crosswalks. Whe you are carryig somethig, hold it so you ca still see clearly i frot of ad o each side of you. At ight, carry a light or somethig white. Wear light-colored or reflective clothig. If there are o sidewalks, walk o the left side of the street so that you face ocomig traffic. If there is o shoulder o the roadway, it may be safer to walk o the grass or fid a alterate route. Do ot play i the street. Stay alert. Do ot walk ad talk o a mobile phoe at the same time. If you wear earphoes, be sure you ca still hear what is goig o aroud you. If you are afoot whe a loose dog threates you, stad still ad quiet with your arms at your side, the slowly back away. Do ot tur ad ru. If you are kocked dow, curl ito a ball with your arms protectig your head. How may usafe pedestria acts ca you see i these illustratios? How ca they be corrected? 30 Safety

33 .Safety o the Road Bicycle Safety Ridig a bicycle is fu. Review ad follow the Boy Scouts of America Bike Safety Guidelies to keep your peddlig fu. Bike Safety Guidelies Physical Fitess. Bikig is streuous. Log treks ad hill climbig should ot be attempted without traiig ad preparatio. For Scoutig activities, all participats must preset evidece of fitess show by a complete health history from a physicia, paret, or legal guardia. The adult supervisor should adjust all supervisio, disciplie, ad protectio to aticipate ay potetial risks associated with idividual health coditios. Especially if you will be ridig at daw, dusk, or i darkess, be sure you wear clothig that has reflective properties. For added visibility, affix reflective tape o your bike ad helmet. Helmets ad Clothig. All cyclists must wear a properly sized ad fitted helmet approved by either the Sell Memorial Foudatio or the America Natioal Stadards Istitute (ANSI). Layer your clothig for warmth o cool days so you ca avoid chillig or overheatig. Cover up for su protectio o clear days. Wear footwear that effectively covers ad protects your feet. Buddy Up. Whe the program activity is a bicycle expeditio or trek, the buddy system must be used. Whe there is program activity emphasizig idividual performace skills, oe buddy observes while the other takes a tur. I competitive activity where the buddy cocept caot be practically applied, all activity must be directly observed by the adult supervisor. (Whe bikig, apart from Scoutig activities, youth members should be ecouraged to go with a buddy, ad tell someoe their route, schedule, ad destiatio before departig.) Safety 31

34 Safety o the Road. Whe you are out cyclig, protect yourself from a territorial dog by crossig the street or eve goig aroud the block. Also stay away from dogs ridig i the beds of pickup trucks. Keep Right. Ride with the traffic flow, as far to the right as possible (or at least 3 feet from traffic). Avoid curbs, tree limbs ad shrubs, storm drais, soft or loose gravel o shoulders, ad other hazards. Be Smart. Obey all traffic laws, sigs, sigals, ad street markigs. Watch for chages i road coditios. Ride oly oe to a bike. Do ot ride after dark. No stuts trick ridig is oly for professioals who use special equipmet. Yield to motor vehicles eve if you thik you have the right-of-way. Never hitch a ride o aother vehicle. Keep your eyes ad ears ope, ad do ot wear headphoes while ridig. Turs ad Itersectios. Look left, right, back, ad ahead before turig. Stop ad search all directios whe eterig a street from a driveway, a parkig area, a sidewalk, or a alley. Sigal all turs usig uiversal had sigals. Walk your bike through or across busy itersectios. Ride the Right Bike. Ride oly a bike that fits you. Select a bike that permits you to put both feet o the groud while sittig o the seat. The hadgrips should ot be higher tha your shoulder or lower tha your seat. Adjust your seat as ecessary. Accessories. Every bike eeds a hor or bell ad reflectors (frot, back, ad sides). Items should be carried oly i baskets, saddlebags, or o a rear carrier rack. If you must ride i traffic, a bike- or helmet-mouted mirror is recommeded. For log trips, a bike-mouted cotaier for drikig water is a good idea. Maiteace. Keep your bike clea ad well-maitaied especially the brakes, drive chai, ad tires. Race Right. Street racig is dagerous. Race oly with supervisio o marked courses that have bee set up to exclude other vehicle or pedestria traffic, to elimiate fall hazards ad miimize collisio risks, ad to defie clear start ad fiish poits.

35 Plaig. Pla both the route ad timig of bike trips to avoid heavy traffic ad hazardous coditios. Bikig is usafe o wet pavemet ad o widy days. Pla for at least hourly rest stops ad a maximum of approximately six hours o the bike per day. Disciplie. All participats should kow, uderstad, ad follow the rules ad procedures for safe bikig. All participats should coscietiously ad carefully follow all directios from the adult supervisor..safety o the Road Wheever you are travelig o a motorcycle, always wear a helmet. Safety o Motorcycles, Scooters, Motorbikes, ad Miibikes To operate these vehicles, there are ofte special restrictios, laws, ad other costraits. For istace, there are laws about how old a driver must be, as well as isurace, licesig, ad similar regulatios. Be aware that there are several hazards posed by such vehicles: They are powerful i relatio to their weight, the rider is exposed ad has o built-i protectio, ad they are less stable tha cars. Always wear a safety helmet whe you ride oe of these vehicles. As with bicycle helmets, choose a motorcycle helmet that meets stadards set by the Sell Memorial Foudatio or ANSI. Motorcycle helmets save more tha 1,000 lives each year. Check with local law eforcemet before you drive a motor scooter or pocket bike o ay public road, eve if you are a licesed driver. Because of the icreased risks i operatig these vehicles, they are ot recommeded modes of trasportatio for Scout-age youths. Safety 33

36 Safety o the Road. Accordig to the Natioal Highway Traffic Safety Admiistratio, driver distractios are a factor i more tha 20 percet of vehicle crashes. Always use a car seat whe trasportig a youg child i a vehicle. Sice 1975, child restraits (seats ad seat belts) have saved the lives of a estimated 9,000 childre. Passeger Safety You might thik that passegers are at the mercy of the driver or operator ad i may ways, they are. But there are some importat thigs passegers ca do to keep safe. Follow these rules, because the leadig killer of Scout-age boys is motor vehicle accidets. Passeger i a Vehicle Here are some safety tips for safe ridig. Always use your safety belt. Talk to your family about makig a family rule that the driver does ot start the egie util everyoe has buckled up. Wear your safety belt properly. Never tuck a shoulder belt behid your back or uder your shoulder. Keep quiet ad tur off the radio i a difficult traffic situatio. Limit driver distractios by doig thigs for them like chagig radio statios or usig the mobile phoe or avigatio system. 34 Safety

37 .Safety o the Road Try this. Put a pey betwee the tread of a vehicle s tires. If the tread does ot reach beyod Licol s head, as i this illustratio, the the tires do ot meet most states legal required miimum tread of 2 32 ich. Wor tires are uable to properly grip the road. Talk to the driver whe he or she is tired or bored. Doig so will help keep the driver alert ad awake. Urge the driver to stop every couple hours. Brig a ball ad play catch i a roadside park if you ca. The driver eeds to stretch ad relieve tese muscles. Lear to read road maps. You ca take strai off the driver by givig good directios ad tellig the driver where to tur well ahead of time. Keep youger childre occupied with quiet games ad activities. If ecessary, ask the driver to pull over to stop quarrels. Lock all doors ad see that hads, heads, ad feet are kept iside the vehicle, eve whe it is parked. A locked door is less likely to sprig ope i a crash. Whe a ews report says that a perso was ejected from the car, it almost always meas the perso was ot wearig a safety belt. The Natioal Trasportatio Safety Board recommeds all passegers ages 12 ad youger sit i rear seats. Forty percet of fatal traffic crashes are alcohol related. If your driver appears to be itoxicated, phoe for aother ride. Do ot get i the car if the driver appears to be itoxicated. Safety 35

38 Safety o the Road. Passeger o a Bus or Trai Follow these tips wheever you ride a bus or trai. I case the vehicle starts or stops abruptly, use the hadrail to keep your balace. Wait for the vehicle to come to a complete stop before you get o or off. Cross the street behid a bus, or after it leaves ad you ca see ocomig traffic. Do ot walk i frot of a bus uless it is a school bus ad the driver motios you across while the bus ad traffic are stopped. Do ot talk to or otherwise disturb a bus driver. (This rule applies for school buses, too.) Stay i your seat while the vehicle is movig. Passeger i a Airplae Here are a few tips for airlie passegers. Pay attetio to the flight attedat s istructios about exits, oxyge masks, life preservers, ad bucklig up. Use safety seat belts. Durig takeoff ad ladig, stay i your seat uless the plae is stopped at the gate. Keep your feet ad luggage out of the aisles. Store your carry-o luggage as directed. I Case of Emergecy May people carry mobile phoes these days, but ot everyoe carries details of whom should be called o their behalf i case they are ivolved i a serious accidet. If you add the acroym ICE for I Case of Emergecy as a cotact i your mobile phoe, paramedics or other rescue workers ca quickly fid someoe to otify about your coditio. As a mior, you should choose a ICE cotact probably your paret or guardia who ca give coset for emergecy medical treatmet. 36 Safety

39 Fill Her Up!.Safety o the Road The fumes from gasolie are highly flammable. Wheever you fuel a vehicle at the pumps, follow these safety guidelies: Put the vehicle i park, ad tur off the egie. Put the keys i a safe place like your pocket. Keys left i the igitio are a easy theft target. Make sure people do ot light matches, smoke, or use ay other igitio source. To avoid spillage, use oly the refuelig latch o the dispeser. If there is oe, do ot jam somethig like a gas cap uder the refuelig latch because it caot automatically release whe the tak is full. Do ot leave the ozzle uatteded while it is pumpig, ad do ot top off or overfill the tak. A spark caused by static electricity could igite gasolie fumes. Before touchig the ozzle or fuel door, touch the vehicle door to release ay static electricity. Do ot reeter the vehicle durig fuelig because this builds up static electricity. While fuelig, avoid usig battery-powered devices, such as mobile phoes, music players, or PDAs. Safety 37

40 Safety i Your Home. Safety i Your Home Be aware of the dagers i your home ad take steps to fix these problems to keep your home safe. Accidets at Home Fixig problems does ot mea rebuildig your home to make it safe. Safety ca be as simple as good housekeepig ad gettig rid of hazardous items. A safe home has a place for everythig. Take a close look at the thigs you ca do to help prevet persoal home accidets. Use the followig Home Safety Checklist. It is a detailed accidet-prevetio guide for you ad your family. If you follow the suggestios, they will soo become safety habits. Oly motor vehicle accidets cause more deaths tha accidets at home, such as fallig dow stairs. 38 Safety

41 .Safety i Your Home Home Safety Checklist Check off each item that describes the situatio i your home. Each item that gets o checkmark represets a potetial hazard. Stairways, Halls, ad Outdoor Steps Stairways with three or more steps have a strog hadrail ad slip-resistat fiish. Stairways ad halls are kept free of boxes, toys, shoes, brooms, tools, ad other trippig hazards. Gates at the top ad bottom of stairs keep childre from fallig. The head ad foot of stairs have o small or loose rugs. Stair carpetig or coverig is securely fasteed. Stairways ad halls have adequate lights, cotrollable at either ed. Do ot allow youg childre to operate garbage disposals, trash compactors, bleders, or other potetially hazardous appliaces. Fid the five safety violatios i this illustratio. Kitche Matches are kept where childre caot get them. Emergecy umbers are posted ext to the telephoe, icludig 911 ad poiso cotrol (toll-free ). Kives ad sharp istrumets are kept i a special kife drawer or holder, out of childre s reach. Ca opeers do ot leave sharp edges o cas. Lye, disifectats, ad cleaig products are kept out of childre s reach. Pa hadles are tured away from stove edges. Spilled grease, water, or bits of food are wiped up immediately. Pot holders are located ear the stove, withi easy reach. A dry chemical fire extiguisher is mouted ear the stove. Safety 39

42 Safety i Your Home. Bathroom Tub ad shower are equipped with strog hadholds. Tub floor has a oslip surface. Dagerous chemicals are clearly marked, sealed shut i the origial cotaier with adhesive tape, ad kept out of childre s reach. All medicies are out of childre s reach ad stored i childproof cotaiers. All cabiets ad drawers that cotai medicatios are locked. No oe takes medicie i the dark. Lights are tured o ad labels read. Attic ad Basemet Ladder is strog, solid, ad sturdily costructed. Stairway is sturdy ad well-lighted. Childre keep skates ad play gear i a specific place. Walls ad beams are free from protrudig ails. Fuses or circuit breakers are the proper size. (See the Electricity ad Home Repairs merit badge pamphlets.) Rubbish ad flammable materials are kept i covered metal cas util their disposal. Wastepaper is stacked eatly i a box or bag ad is kept away from the furace ad stairs while awaitig disposal clear of possible basemet seepage. Newspapers ad wastepaper should be kept well away from stoves, fireplaces, furaces, ad heaters. 40 Safety

43 Livig Room ad Diig Room Furiture is arraged to allow easy passage. Before bedtime, furiture placemet is checked for orderliess to prevet collisios i the dark. Furiture ad woodwork are solid, i good repair, ad free from spliters ad rough spots. Fireplace scree fits sugly. Rugs are fasteed or laid o oslip pads. Rugs are kept from curlig at their edges. Wax o floors is thoroughly buffed. Fire i fireplace is thoroughly extiguished at bedtime. Cadles are i stable holders. Cadles are carefully extiguished after use, before bedtime, or before leavig home. Do ot leave a room that has a lit cadle. Bedroom Smoke alarm battery has bee replaced withi the past 12 moths or has a secure electrical coectio. Whe replacig the battery, write the date o it with a permaet marker. Test the alarm mothly. Carbo mooxide alarm has a fresh battery or secure electrical coectio ad is tested regularly. Furiture is placed to allow clear passage betwee bed ad door to avoid collisios i the dark. Light switch or lamp is withi easy reach from bed. A ight-light illumiates the bedroom or hall. Dresser drawers are closed whe ot i use. A bar across upper buk bed helps prevet falls. Childre are taught ot to lea agaist widows or widow screes. Low-sill widows have sturdy screes to prevet childre from fallig out. Smokig i bed is prohibited. Gas ad electric heatig devices are tured off at bedtime. Rooms o upper floors are equipped with escape ladders..safety i Your Home The Natioal Fire Protectio Associatio recommeds that a smoke alarm be istalled i every bedroom, outside every sleepig area, ad o every level of the home. Smoke ad carbo mooxide alarms do t last forever. Replace these uits every 10 years. Safety 41

44 Safety i Your Home. Nursery Bars o crib are o more tha iches apart so baby s head caot slip betwee them. Crib is approved by Cosumer Products or a similar cosumer safety group. Crib is free from sharp edges or corers. Sleepig garmets ad covers keep baby warm without dager of smotherig or straglig. Pillows are kept out of bassiet or crib. No thi, plastic material is i or ear the crib. No toys or objects i the crib or withi reach for ay child uder age 3 are less tha 1 ich i diameter ad 2 iches log. No toys or objects have small parts such as eyes that ca be removed. Childre are taught ot to give marbles, jacks, butto-size batteries, or other small toys ad objects to childre youger tha age 3. Toys are sturdy, do ot come apart easily, ad have o sharp edges or poits. Toys should have a cosumer products group s approval. Notoxic pait is used o baby furiture ad toys. All houseplats are opoisoous. The Child Safety Protectio Act of 1994 requires warigs o toys with small parts for childre uder age 6. Always choose age-appropriate toys without sharp edges or parts that ca be swallowed. 42 Safety

45 .Safety i Your Home Stoves, Furaces, ad Heaters Stoves are located away from widows to avoid settig fire to curtais. Stove ad furace pipes ad flues are ispected ad cleaed aually. Gas burers are properly adjusted ad free from leaks. Water heater ad all small gas or oil room heaters are equipped with vet pipes or flues to carry combustio gases outside the house. Water heater or boiler has a safety valve ad is checked aually. Water heater temperature is set below 120 degrees Fahreheit to reduce the risk of serious burs. Flames of gas burers are protected from drafts. A isulatig shield protects woodwork withi 18 iches of ay furace, stove, or heater. Burable materials are kept well away from stoves, furaces, ad heaters. A appropriate-size crescet wrech is stored ear the shutoff valve of the outside gas lie. The flue is opeed before usig the fireplace. Porch, Yard, ad Garage Railigs ad baisters are sturdy ad ispected periodically. Steps ad walkways are kept free from ice ad sow. Yard ad play space are free of holes, stoes, broke glass, ail-studded boards, tools, ad other litter. Tools ad other dagerous articles are kept out of childre s reach. Dagerous products ad chemicals such as atifreeze, isecticides, cleaig fluid, ad lubricats are kept i the origial cotaier, locked i storage areas, ad used accordig to the maufacturer s istructios o the cotaier. Wires ad low feces are brightly paited or marked with cloth strips to make them clearly visible. Wells, cisters, ad pits are kept securely covered. Disposable materials are ot bured outside. A area is marked off i the garage for bicycles, wagos, ad other small vehicles. Law mower is equipped with proper safeguards. If your family has a pool or spa tub, it may be wise to post rules as a remider for family members ad guests to keep safety i mid at all times. Have emergecy umbers hady, ad make rescue equipmet easily accessible (ad kow how to use these devices, too.)

46 Safety i Your Home. Be sure you have received proper traiig ad have adequate supervisio before operatig power tools ad law care equipmet. Workshop ad Power Tools Safety goggles (or face shield), hearig protectio, ad appropriate clothig, icludig shoes, are wor whe workig with or aroud power tools. Appropriate eyewash is available. Good vetilatio exists, especially whe sadig or paitig. Dust masks or respirators are wor whe suggested by the tool or product maufacturer. Bakig soda is kept hady to eutralize acid burs. All electrical tools are either grouded with three-wire plugs or clearly marked as double-isulated. Work area is free of clutter, icludig lumber scraps ad oily rags. Lightig over work area is adequate. All tools ad accessories have a place. Tools ad accessories are kept i their place except whe beig used o a project. Guards are i place o all power tools. A push stick is used with table saws. All saw guards ad shields are kept i place. Tools are uplugged whe ot i use ad before chagig blades, servicig, ad repairig. Electrical Devices ad Fixtures (Check for hazards wherever electrical fixtures are located.) Electrical fixtures ad appliaces are UL-approved ad are located ad used beyod arm s legth of sik, stove, tub, shower, or other grouded metal objects uless the outlet is protected by a groud-fault circuit iterrupter. Groud-fault protected outlets are tested regularly. No oe touches electrical fixtures or appliaces with wet hads or while stadig o a wet floor. Seldom-used electrical appliaces are discoected whe ot i use. Household appliaces are discoected before repairs or adjustmets. 44 Safety

47 .Safety i Your Home Light bulbs are istalled i all lamp sockets. Frayed ad wor electrical cords are promptly replaced. Log trailig cords are ot visible. Cords are kept out from uder rugs, doors, ad movable furiture. Extesio cords are UL-approved, are the proper wire size for the load, ad are ever overloaded. Childre are taught ever to touch electrical sockets or fixtures. Fuses are adequate for the load ad are ot bypassed. Circuit breakers are labeled ad are ot overloaded. Geeral Home has a smoke alarm system, with at least oe alarm i each bedroom, outside each sleepig area, o every level, ad additioal alarms i the livig room, ad basemet. The home has at least oe carbo mooxide detector. Everythig has a place ad is kept there whe ot i use. A strog, rigid stepladder is kept i good repair ad stored out of the way. Widow screes ad storm widows are securely fasteed. Gus are stored uloaded ad i locked cases. Gus ad ammuitio are stored separately. Childre are permitted to use oly blut-ed scissors. Clothig wor for housework is free from droopig sleeves, sashes, or frills. Shoes wor for housework ad home repairs have low heels ad are i good repair. Kerosee, gasolie, pait thiers, ad other volatile materials are stored i special, clearly marked metal cotaiers, away from combustible materials, ad out of reach of childre. Oil mops, dust rags, paitig equipmet, ad other greasy materials are stored i ope metal cotaiers. Everyoe turs o a light before eterig a dark room. Matches are cold out before they are discarded. Childre are ever permitted to play with matches. Fire extiguishers are readily available ad i good workig order. The house is free of rodets, spiders, ad other pests. Uwated pait, chemical, or aerosol cotaiers are promptly discarded i a safe ad evirometally soud maer. Firearms Safety If your family is amog the 50 percet of households i the Uited States that keeps firearms i the home, help make sure all gus are kept secured, iaccessible to those who should ot use them especially childre ad your frieds who visit. Ay ammuitio also should be securely ad separately stored. If you ecouter a firearm, do ot touch it. Report it to a resposible adult or law eforcemet aget. Safety 45

48 Safety i Your Home. Be sure you have telephoe access if the electricity goes out. For more iformatio about first aid, see the First Aid merit badge pamphlet ad the Boy Scout Hadbook. For Emergecy Kow the 911 emergecy umber. (Dial 0 if the 911 emergecy system is ot available i your area.) Kow the locatio of water, gas, ad electric shutoffs, ad be sure each shutoff is checked at least oce a year. Have a first-aid kit, approved by your doctor or the America Red Cross, ad repleish supplies as eeded. Kow basic first-aid procedures. Have a fire escape pla from your home (see later i this chapter). Have emergecy water supplies stored i your home i case the primary water supply fails. Have hadheld flashlights readily available for emergecy use. Kow how to get emergecy help for ay member of your family. Precautios Agaist Bloodbore Viruses Treat all blood as if it were cotamiated with bloodbore viruses. Do ot use bare hads to stop bleedig. Always use a protective barrier ad thoroughly wash exposed ski areas with soap ad water immediately after treatig a victim. The BSA recommeds that the followig equipmet be icluded i all first-aid kits. This equipmet should be used whe rederig first aid to those i eed. Protective olatex gloves, to be used whe stoppig bleedig or dressig wouds A mouth-barrier device, for rederig rescue breathig or CPR Plastic goggles or other eye protectio, to prevet a victim s blood from gettig ito a rescuer s eyes i the evet of serious arterial bleedig Atiseptic, for sterilizig or cleaig exposed ski areas, particularly if there is o soap or water available 46 Safety

49 .Safety i Your Home Your chaces of escapig from a house fire are greatly improved if your family has a escape pla, icludig a mai escape route ad a alterate route. Your Family Escape Pla Home fires are deadly. They ofte happe at ight whe families are asleep. I the time it takes people to wake up ad make their escape, a house fire ca become a ifero. Also, deadly poisoous gases ca spread throughout the home. The best way to avoid ijury or death i a home fire is to get out quickly. Escapig from a fire i the home souds easy, but ofte people get trapped iside. May fire victims are utouched by flames but are asphyxiated (smothered) by smoke or gases. A fire that ever leaves the basemet ca kill everyoe o the secod floor because hot air ad smoke rise. The oly way to be reasoably sure of escapig a fire is to have a pla. Ad, i case the fire keeps you from usig your mai escape route, there should be a alterate procedure. The Natioal Safety Coucil recommeds the followig family escape pla. (Because every house ad every family are differet, use these rules to develop your ow family escape pla.) Havig workig smoke alarms gives families the warig time they eed to make a safe escape. Safety 47

50 Safety i Your Home. Keep bedroom doors closed at ight. Closed doors will delay the spread of fire ad keep out deadly smoke ad gases. Draw a floor pla of your home. Lay out a escape route for each room o each floor. The choose a alterate route for each room i case the plaed escape route is blocked by fire. Give special attetio to the bedrooms, because fires at ight are usually the most potetially deadly. I a emergecy situatio, sheetrock walls ca be broke usig a tool or eve kickig to allow you to escape. Dowstairs Upstairs Diig room Kitche Bedroom 2 Bathroom To cellar exit Hallway ad dowstairs Livig room Bedroom 1 Bedroom 3 Frot porch (Widows ope oto porch roof) Family escape pla Mai route Alterate route Pla how to help youg childre ad disabled or elderly people to escape. Childre ad seiors will eed help i ay escape pla. You must pla ahead to protect their safety. Have a way for every member of the family to awake the others. You do ot kow who might discover a fire while others are sleepig. You caot cout o beig able to reach all bedrooms; some may be blocked. Yellig, poudig o walls, or blowig whistles may arouse others. Whistles are iexpesive buy oe for every bedroom i the house. Teach everyoe to escape without wastig time. Gettig dressed or gatherig valuables will use up precious time. 48 Safety

51 Teach everyoe how to test a door. Rub your had alog the door from the bottom to the top. If cool, check the kob. If ay part is hot, leave the door closed ad take aother route. If you must stay i a room, close the door ad stay ear a slightly opeed widow. Stuff door cracks with towels or clothig. If you are trapped, blow your whistle to help a rescuer locate you. I a smoke-filled room, crawl with your head as close to the floor as possible for visibility, heat reductio, ad lower smoke toxicity. Decide o a meetig place outside, like a eighbor s frot porch, preferably across the street. Whe you have all gathered there, you will kow that everyoe is safe. Activate the emergecy respose system as soo as you ca by callig 911. If your commuity does ot have that service, dial 0. Do ot stop to call 911 from iside a burig buildig; go to safe area outside. Teach everyoe how to use differet kids of phoes, icludig mobile phoes. Post family emergecy umbers such as poiso cotrol, the family doctor, ad parets work ad mobile umbers ear every telephoe i the house. Make copies for everyoe to carry with them. Fid out if your local emergecy umber is able to track your address, as most ca today. If you do ot have this service, post your address ext to each phoe i the house. I a crisis, eve adults have bee uable to thik of their address. O the phoe, speak clearly ad state your emergecy, ame, ad address. Do ot hag up util the other perso does. Hold a practice drill. Repeat the drill from time to time, makig chages to allow for a ew family member, differet sleepig arragemets, or other chages i your family or home. If your family will eed to use a escape ladder durig a emergecy, practice puttig the ladder i positio so that everyoe will kow how to set it up properly. As part of the drill, family members should gather at the meetig place outside the home, as specified i the family pla..safety i Your Home Explai to youg childre that a firefighter with breathig apparatus might look scary, but they must go with the firefighter. Safety 49

52 Safety i Your Home. Fires occur frequetly durig the holidays ad times of seasoal chages. For safety tips about holiday decoratios, see the Fire Safety merit badge pamphlet. Some Cautios About Your Escape Pla As you prepare your family escape pla, keep the followig cautios i mid: Make sure escape widows ca be opeed icludig screes ad storm widows. Beware of widows that are high, paited shut, or blocked by a air coditioer. These make poor or impossible escape routes. Teach everyoe how to break a widow with a chair or other heavy object ad to clear away remaiig pieces of glass with a shoe, or cover broke glass with a blaket, pillow, or towel. Uless they ope oto some area of refuge like a roof or deck, secod-story widows eed a emergecy ladder, rope, or other meas of escape. If time allows, beddig ca be used i a emergecy to aid a escape (by tyig sheets together to make a rope) or cushio a fall. If you must jump to save your life, realize that you ca recover from broke boes. Commo Causes of Home Fires How do fires i the home get started? Here are four major dagers. Cookig. Cookig is the umber oe cause of residetial fires. Be sure to follow these precautios i the kitche. Stay i the kitche while you are cookig, ad keep small childre away from the stove. 50 Safety

53 .Safety i Your Home Tur cookware hadles toward the back of the stove so hot pots ad pas will ot accidetally be bumped. Keep items that could easily catch fire, like pot holders ad dishtowels, away from the stove. Wear close-fittig clothig or a apro whe you cook. Be careful to keep ufasteed sleeves ad other loose clothig away from the stove. Wipe up all grease spills immediately. Put a lid o pa fires. Tur off the burer, do t move the pa, ad keep the lid o util the pa cools completely. If there is a ove fire, close the ove door ad tur off the ove. If the fire does ot go out immediately, call the fire departmet. Make sure the vets of a microwave ove are clear of obstructios. If a fire starts iside, keep the door closed ad uplug the microwave. Heatig. Whe the temperature drops i the witer moths, the chace of fires caused by furaces, space heaters, ad fireplaces rises. Keep thigs that could catch fire at least 3 feet away from your furace, space heater, ad fireplace. Flammable items iclude curtais ad beddig, as well as paper. Always put a scree i frot of the fireplace to keep embers from escapig ad igitig materials like rugs or clothig. Have your furace, fireplace ad chimey, ad other wood burers or solid-fuel devices professioally ispected as recommeded by the maufacturer or at least oce a year at the begiig of the heatig seaso. Chage your furace filter regularly. Keep childre away from a space heater, ad make sure there is adult supervisio i the room at all times the heater is tured o. Always shut off a space heater whe you leave the room ad whe you are sleepig. Never use a gas rage for heat i place of a furace or space heater. Never put water o a grease fire. Water will splatter the grease or cookig oil ad spread the fire. Never attempt to take a grease fire outdoors. The pa will be too hot to carry. Safety 51

54 Safety i Your Home. Electrical appliaces. All electrical appliaces should be operated accordig to the maufacturer s istructios. Exercise care whe usig aythig that has to be plugged ito a electrical outlet. Uplug appliaces whe they are ot i use. This is especially importat for appliaces such as toaster oves, iros, ad other appliaces that get hot. Keep thigs that ca catch fire (such as curtais ad ewspapers) away from heat-producig appliaces. Do ot drape material over lamps. Use the correct bulb wattage for your lamp ad shade; some lamp shades are flammable if used with bulbs brighter tha 30 watts. Make sure lamps are secure ad level, ad that they will ot easily fall over. Tur off haloge lamps wheever you leave a room because haloge bulbs get especially hot. Keep appliaces i good repair, ad make sure the electrical cords are ot frayed or damaged. Keep electrical appliaces away from water. If a plugged-i appliace falls ito the water, do ot reach ito the water to retrieve it. The massive electrical shock the water would deliver could kill you. If a circuit breaker trips or a fuse blows frequetly, uplug some devices o that lie; it may be overloaded. If a outlet or a switch feels warm, shut off the circuit ad call a electricia. Smokig. Smokig is the leadig cause of deaths i residetial fires. The best way to keep cigarettes ad pipes from startig a fire i your home is to have o smokig i your home. Cigarettes ad matches, whether they are burig or merely smolderig, are sources of igitio ad ca easily set thigs like furiture ad paper o fire. Fires caused by smokig ca be avoided easily. People should ever smoke while sleepy, while i bed, or whe drikig alcohol or takig medicatio, as they might be more careless i their hadlig of a lit cigarette. Cigarette butts should be cold out before they are discarded, ad ashtrays should be emptied ito cotaiers that will ot catch fire, like a metal trash ca. Keep matches, lighters, ad smokig materials away from childre. 52 Safety

55 Major Disasters As you read the ewspaper or watch TV ewscasts, you may see that major disasters ca be grouped i the followig two ways: Thigs that disrupt your etire commuity, such as earthquakes or floods Accidets, such as a house fire or wid damage, that are cetered o your home ad do ot ivolve the whole commuity.safety i Your Home Durig a commuitywide disaster such as massive floodig, outside help might ot reach you immediately. Thik about what kids of atural ad huma-caused disasters ad emergecies could occur i your commuity. What should your family do? If disaster strikes oly your home, as i a fire, your home might be destroyed but help from the outside would arrive quickly. Durig commuitywide disasters, such as hurricaes or toradoes, outside help might take days to arrive. You must be prepared to survive a commuitywide disaster usig oly the resources i your home or a emergecy shelter. Safety 53

56 Safety i Your Home. Major Disaster Preparedess Items We all hope to ever face a major catastrophe that threates our survival. However, major disasters do happe to ordiary people. Be prepared for them. Pla to store eough supplies for everyoe i your household for at least three days. Also, assume you might have o electric power, water, or phoe. Store the followig items, ad periodically ispect perishable, usable items like batteries ad medicatios to esure that they are curret ad fresh. Oe gallo of water per perso per day Drikig-quality water hose (available at hardware ad campig supply stores), kept ear a outside faucet at all times Noperishable, high-protei food items, icludig eergy bars, ready-to-eat soup, peaut butter, ad foods that require o refrigeratio, cookig, ad little or o water Food ad water for pets First-aid kit (icludig supplies of specific medicies used by family members) Copies of the Boy Scout Hadbook ad Fieldbook (which describe the procedures for may emergecy situatios ad the proper first aid for may commo ijuries) List of emergecy telephoe umbers (911 may be the oly umber eeded i your area) Large flashlight with extra batteries Portable, battery-operated radio with extra batteries Fire extiguisher Tool kit, icludig a ax, shovel, broom, screwdriver, pliers, hammer, coil of half-ich rope, coil of balig twie, plastic or duct tape, kife, razor blades, pe, paper, ad adjustable wrech for turig off gas ad water 54 Safety

57 Simple chart showig where shutoff valves are located, icludig the mai electrical switch Plastic sheetig ad garbage bags with ties Portable fire escape ladder for homes or buildigs of more tha oe story Maual ca opeer Cash (ATMs ad credit cards require electricity) Woode matches, dipped i liquid wax ad stored i a waterproof cotaier (ot to be used util it is certai there are o gas or chemical leaks or spills) Portable stove that uses butae or charcoal (used outdoors oly because carbo mooxide poisoig is fatal) Gloves ad cloths for cleaig up chemical spills Covered cotaiers (capable of beig tightly sealed) for storig refuse Clothig, sturdy shoes, ad gloves for each member of the household (sealed i plastic to keep them dry) Garde hose kept ear a outside faucet at all times Medicatios (prescriptio ad oprescriptio) ad saitary items like toilet paper Map of the local area with your evacuatio route marked Copies of valuable documets, like isurace papers, eclosed i a waterproof bag Persoal idetificatio ad a list of medicatios eeded for all family members Callig 911 I most commuities, dialig 911 will coect you with a dispatcher for fire, police, ad ambulace. Usually, the address you are dialig from appears o the emergecy dispatcher s scree. However, a estimated 30 percet of 911 calls come from mobile phoes. Ulike a home or busiess phoe, a caller usig a mobile phoe could be callig from aywhere. Realize that whe callig 911 from a mobile phoe, the dispatcher will eed a address or locatio descriptio that might iclude the closest city or road..safety i Your Home Safety 55

58 Safety Olie. Safety Olie Families should locate their household computer i a ope, shared area, ever i a isolated place like a attic room. Before you log o to the Iteret, make sure you have your paret s permissio. Besides havig a abudace of useful ad accurate iformatio, the Iteret also has its dark side, icludig misiformatio. Talk with your parets, couselor, or other experieced Iteret users about ways to tell the differece ad about the precautios shared here. Follow your family s rules for usig the Iteret. Respect ay limits o how log ad how ofte you are allowed to be olie ad what sites you ca visit. Your family also ca cosider istallig a software program that helps weed out udesirable sites. Protect your privacy. Never exchage electroic pictures of yourself with stragers. Never give out persoal iformatio such as your telephoe umber, address, last ame, where you go to school, or where your parets work, without first askig your paret s permissio. Do ot ope s or files you receive from people you do ot kow or trust. If you get somethig suspicious, put it i the trash just as you would ay other electroic juk mail, which is kow as spam. May computer viruses are set via attachmets. You should have updated virus protectio software ad, especially with cable or DSL coectios, a firewall. A firewall will help prevet a hacker from obtaiig iformatio from your computer or placig iformatio ad viruses o it. If you receive or discover ay iformatio that makes you ucomfortable, tell your parets ad let them look at it. Do ot respod to ay message that is disturbig or hurtful. Never agree to get together with someoe you meet olie, uless your parets approve of the meetig ad go with you. 56 Safety

59 .Safety Olie Never share your Iteret password with ayoe other tha your parets or other resposible adults i your family. Sometimes a fraudulet will appear official (like from a compay you use) ad will request persoal iformatio. Never shop olie or offer a credit card umber uless you have your paret s permissio. Be a good olie citize. Do ot do aythig that harms others or is agaist the law. Ay iformatio posted olie, such as otes ad persoal remarks, ca be shared with others. A good rule of thumb is to ot post iformatio you do ot wat others, icludig stragers, to see. Never give out persoal iformatio to ayoe you meet olie or without your paret s permissio. Idetity Theft Idetity theft is the fastest-growig crime i the Uited States. Whe a crimial steals someoe s persoal iformatio to impersoate this perso ad make legal trasactios, it is idetity theft. Olie idetificatio. Be careful ot to share persoal iformatio about you or your family icludig birth dates, address ad phoe umbers, your mother s maide ame, ad especially Social Security umbers. A crimial ca use this iformatio to apply for credit cards that ca be set directly to the crimial s address. Olie purchases. Do ot purchase aythig olie from a merchat uless you have your parets permissio. You also eed a secure server. The Web address of a secure server begis with https istead of http. The followig are commo ways that your idetity ca be stole: Stole wallets ad purses. Ecourage your parets to reduce the umber of idetificatio ad credit cards they carry i their wallet or purse i case of theft. They should especially ot carry aythig that icludes a Social Security umber. Mailbox. Uless your mailbox is locked, you ca help protect your family members idetities by promptly removig the daily mail. Trashy treasure. Crimials rummage through home ad busiess trash for persoal iformatio. Persoal iformatio, especially credit card applicatios, should be shredded. Idetity theft victims ca cotact the Federal Trade Commissio at the toll-free telephoe umber, 877-IDTHEFT, or olie at Safety 57

60 Get i the habit of lookig for exits i the public places you eter.

61 .Safety i Public Places Safety i Public Places Public places iclude schools, theaters, places of worship, office buildigs, ad parks ay place outside the home where people gather. Public places geerally are safe. Laws demad that public places udergo regular safety ispectios. Public places must be built accordig to the latest safety codes ad have adequate supervisio of the facilities. Yet, accidets ca still happe. Ad whe accidets happe i public places, they ca be very serious. The Hazard of Paic Paic is givig i to a sudde, overpowerig fear. Whe people paic, they may feel they must ru for their lives. Paic aywhere ca be dagerous, especially i a public place. Imagie that you are i a theater ad someoe suddely shouts, Fire! Everyoe reacts at oce. People rush for the door through which they etered the theater. I the madhouse of people tryig to escape, some fall ad are trampled. Paic attacks have caused serious accidets ad eve death. What ca you do to avoid these dagers? First, lear how to prevet your ow paic. Do ot give i to terror, because fear will cloud your judgmet. Secod, lear how to keep others from paickig or causig paic. Set a example through your ow self-cofidece i the face of trouble. Fire drills at school prepare studets to leave the buildig safely i case of a real fire emergecy. Safety 59

62 Safety i Public Places. Be prepared before trouble strikes. Get ito the habit of lookig for exits i ay public place you eter. Ask yourself, How ca I get out of this buildig if there is ay trouble? How ca I help other people to get out? Thik of at least two ways to exit public buildigs you eter. Both should be exits other tha the door where you etered. This actually gives you three possible escape routes. You ca help others by ecouragig them to leave through exits other tha the door they used to eter the buildig. That door is the most dagerous exit to use i case of paic, because most people will try to get out through that sigle etrace. As soo as a few start usig alterate exits, others will follow. I case of fire i a multistory buildig, do ot use a elevator. Durig a fire, the elevator shaft becomes a chimey. A elevator may eve stop ad the doors ope automatically where the fire is most itese. Use the stairs ad fire escapes to reach safety. Safety i Recreatio Every type of recreatio has its ow safety rules. Lear the safety rules for ay sport, game, or recreatioal activity i which you will participate. Always keep flames well away from tets. No tet material is fireproof. 60 Safety

63 No Flames i Tets Campig is a major activity for ay Scout. Scouts eed to pay special attetio to fire safety whe campig. Remember that o tet material is fireproof. All tets ca bur whe exposed to heat or fire. Also, fires give off poisoous carbo mooxide i eve a vetilated tet. For safety i tets, use the followig rules: Never use liquid-fuel stoves, heaters, laters, lighted cadles, matches, or other flame sources i or ear tets. Permit oly flashlights ad electric laters i tets. Do ot pitch tets ear ope fire. Do ot use flammable chemicals ear tets, icludig charcoal lighter fluid, spray pait, bug killer, or isect repellet. Be careful whe usig electricity ad lightig i tets. Always extiguish cookig ad campfires properly. Obey all fire laws, ordiaces, ad regulatios..safety i Public Places Safe Swim Defese Pla for Uits The Safe Swim Defese pla has bee used successfully for years to help Scoutig uits swim safely. The pla gives Scouts a uderstadig of the basic priciples of group swimmig uder adequately supervised, safe coditios. Here are the poits of the pla. 1. Qualified Supervisio. All swimmig activity must be supervised by mature ad coscietious adults age 21 or older. These adults must accept resposibility for the wellbeig ad safety of youth members i their care. They must be experieced i the water ad cofidet of their ability to respod i the evet of a emergecy. They must be traied i ad committed to compliace with the eight poits of BSA Safe Swim Defese. (It is strogly recommeded that all uits have at least oe adult or older youth member curretly traied as a BSA Lifeguard to assist i the plaig ad coduct of all swimmig activity.) For more iformatio about the BSA s Safe Swim Defese, see the Boy Scout Hadbook ad the Swimmig or Lifesavig merit badge pamphlet. Safety 61

64 Safety i Public Places. 2. Physical Fitess. Require evidece of fitess for swimmig activity with a complete health history from physicia, paret, or legal guardia. The adult supervisor should adjust all supervisio, disciplie, ad protectio to aticipate ay potetial risks associated with idividual health coditios. I the evet of ay sigificat health coditios, the uit leader should require proof of a examiatio by a physicia. People with physical disabilities ca ejoy ad beefit from aquatics if the disabilities are kow ad ecessary precautios are take. 3. Safe Area. Whe swimmig i areas ot regularly maitaied ad used for swimmig activity, lifeguards ad swimmers should systematically examie the bottom of the swimmig area to determie varyig depths, deep holes, rocks, ad stumps. Mark off the area for three groups: Not more tha feet deep for oswimmers From shallow water to just over the head for begiers Deep water ot more tha 12 feet for swimmers Participats should ot be permitted to swim i areas where they caot easily recover ad maitai their footig. They should avoid areas where they caot maitai their positio o the water, either because of swimmig ability or water flow. Whe settig up a safe swimmig area i atural waters, use poles stuck i the bottom or plastic bottles, balloos, or sticks attached to rock achors with twie for boudary markers. Eclose oswimmer ad begier areas 62 Safety

65 .Safety i Public Places with buoy lies (twie ad floats) betwee markers. Mark the outer bouds of the swimmer s area with floats. Be sure that clear-water depth is at least 7 feet before allowig ayoe to dive ito the water. Divig is prohibited from ay height more tha 40 iches above the water s surface. Feetfirst etry is prohibited from more tha 60 iches above the water. For ay etry from more tha 18 iches above the water surface, clear-water depth must be 10 to 12 feet. Oly surface swimmig is permitted i turbid water. Swimmig is ot permitted i water over 12 feet deep, i turbid water where poor visibility ad depth would iterfere with emergecy recogitio or prompt rescue, or i whitewater, uless all participats wear appropriate persoal flotatio devices. The supervisor must also determie that swimmig with persoal flotatio equipmet is safe uder the circumstaces. 4. Lifeguards o Duty. Swim oly where there are lifeguards o duty. For uit swims i areas without statioed lifeguards, the supervisor should desigate two capable swimmers as lifeguards. Statio them ashore, equipped with a lifelie (a 100-foot legth of 3 8-ich ylo cord). I a emergecy, oe carries out the lie. The other lifeguard feeds it out from shore, the pulls i his or her parter ad the perso beig helped. I additio, if a boat is available, have two people, preferably capable swimmers, take it out oe rowig ad the other equipped with a 10-foot pole or extra oar. Provide oe guard for every 10 people i the water. Adjust the umber ad positioig of guards as eeded to protect the particular area ad activity. 5. Lookout. Statio a lookout o the shore where it is possible to see ad hear everythig i all areas. The lookout may be the adult i charge of the swim ad may give the buddy sigals. 6. Ability Groups. Divide participats ito three ability groups: Noswimmers Begiers Swimmers Keep each group i its ow area. Noswimmers have ot passed a swimmig test. Begiers must pass this test: Jump feetfirst ito water over the head i depth, level off, ad swim 25 feet o the surface. Stop, tur sharply, Tees, more tha ay other age group, suffer from divig ijuries, which iclude paralysis ad eve death. Thik about safety before you jump or let a fried jump. Safety 63

66 Safety i Public Places. resume swimmig as before ad retur to the startig place. Swimmers pass this test: Jump feetfirst ito water over the head i depth. Level off ad swim 75 yards i a strog maer usig oe or more of the followig strokes: sidestroke, breaststroke, trudge, or crawl (the stroke used i a swim meet freestyle evet); the swim 25 yards usig a easy restig backstroke. The 100 yards must be completed i oe swim without stops ad must iclude at least oe sharp tur. After completig the swim, rest by floatig. These classificatio tests should be reewed aually, preferably at the begiig of the seaso. Use the buddy system wheever you go swimmig. 7. Buddy System. Pair every youth with aother i the same ability group. Buddies check i ad out of the swimmig area together. Emphasize that each buddy lifeguards his or her buddy. Check everyoe i the water about every 10 miutes, or as eeded, to keep the buddies together. The adult i charge sigals for a buddy check with a sigle blast of a whistle or rig of a bell ad a call of Buddies! The adult couts slowly to 10 while buddies joi ad raise hads. They remai still ad silet. Guards check all areas ad cout the pairs. They compare the total with the umber of swimmers kow to be i the water. Sigal two blasts or bells to resume swimmig. Sigal three blasts or bells for checkout. 8. Disciplie. Be sure everyoe uderstads ad agrees that swimmig is allowed oly with proper supervisio ad use of the complete Safe Swim Defese. The applicable rules should be preseted ad leared prior to the outig. These rules should be reviewed for all participats at the water s edge just before the swimmig activity begis. Scouts should respect ad follow all directios ad rules of the adult supervisor. Whe people kow the reaso for rules ad procedures, they are more likely to follow them. 64 Safety

67 .Safety i Public Places More tha 700 people die each year i boatig accidets. Their lives might have bee saved if they had bee wearig life jackets, commoly called PFDs or persoal flotatio devices. Safety i Public Swimmig Areas You ca use the BSA s Safe Swim Defese pla while swimmig with your family or ay other group. Do ot swim at a public pool or beach uless the maagemet provides a safe area, lifeguards, ad lookouts. Make sure to read ad follow the posted rules ad regulatios. At a public pool or beach, be sesible ad keep withi the proper area for swimmers of your ability. Always swim with a buddy, regardless of where you are swimmig. If a check-i ad check-out pla is ot provided by the maagemet, make arragemets to provide oe for your ow immediate group. Your pla could be as simple as a scribbled list of swimmers by buddies, with each ame crossed off as the perso leaves the pool. Of course, ay Scoutig group must always obey all the rules posted by the maagemet as well as use the Safe Swim Defese. Safety 65

68 Safety i Public Places. Lightig Strikes Severe thuderstorms ca develop quickly, so always be alert to the weather. The Natioal Weather Service says if you ca hear thuder, you are close eough to the storm to be struck by lightig. Durig thuderstorms, take these precautios. Avoid ope areas ad lightig targets such as trees, flagpoles, or wire feces. Avoid aythig metal, which coducts electricity. Remove ad stay away from metal-framed backpacks. I tets, stay away from metal tet poles. Water coducts electricity; if you are o or i the water, get to lad immediately. If you are hikig ear moutaitops, which are struck by lightig ofte durig summer, get dowhill. If a storm catches you, take shelter i a cave or low spot amog the rocks ad i a area that is ot likely to flood. Take shelter i a steel-framed buildig or hard-topped motor vehicle (ot a covertible) if you ca. Such places are safe because the charge stays withi the buildig s or vehicle s frame ad is coducted safely to groud without edagerig the occupats. If you are takig shelter i a car without a hard top, avoid touchig the metal parts. Whe takig shelter i a buildig, remember that water ad metal coduct electricity. Avoid water ad aythig metal. Do ot take a bath or shower or ru water. Do ot use the telephoe or ay objects coected to electrical power, such as hair dryers, TVs, ad computers. If you caot fid shelter, get small. Do ot lie flat o the groud, which makes you a bigger target tha crouchig dow. If you feel your hair stad o ed or your ski get tigly, crouch dow immediately. Squat o the balls of your feet, cover your ears with your hads, ad put your head betwee your kees. The less of you that is touchig the groud, the better. 66 Safety

69 .Safety i Public Places Other Scoutig Activities Other Scoutig activities that have their ow safety rules iclude thigs like rifle ad shotgu shootig, archery, hikig, caoeig, sailig, skiig, ad horseback ridig. Set a example i all of your activities by learig ad followig the rules for each activity that you do. Blastig Cap Dagers Blastig caps are small metal tubes about as big aroud as a pecil ad up to 7 iches log. Blastig caps are essetial tools i costructio, miig, quarryig, prospectig, ad agriculture to set off other explosives. Oly experts should use blastig caps. Occasioally, caps are mislaid or stole. I iexperieced hads, they ca cause serious ijury or death. If you fid somethig that might be a blastig cap or a detoatig cord, do ot touch it. Report it promptly to the earest police, sheriff, fire departmet, or military uit. Lear ad follow the safety rules for every activity you do. Fireworks Fireworks also are cosidered explosives ad require special safety tips. Fireworks are ot a approved BSA activity. Accordig to the U.S. Eye Ijury Registry, approximately 12,000 people are treated aually i the Uited States for fireworks-related ijuries. Nearly half of those ijured are bystaders, ad about 2,000 of these ijuries ivolve the eye. Safety 67

70

71 .Safety Plas ad Projects Safety Plas ad Projects To fulfill the last two requiremets for the Safety merit badge, you must do some careful accidet-prevetio plaig ad complete a safety project. Accidet Prevetio Plaig As a youg adult, you will eed to look out for your ow safety more ad more. This exercise will help you lear to thik like a safety techicia by developig a accidet prevetio pla. You must have your merit badge couselor s approval before you begi your safety project. Discuss the details with your couselor, who ca give you may tips o the types of projects to cosider. What potetial safety hazards could mar this family s fu? Safety 69

72 Safety Plas ad Projects. Safety Projects Plaig ad completig a safety project may take you outside your home ad ito the commuity or your place of employmet. If you do a project for the whole commuity, you will also eed to ivolve commuity leaders. For projects at your workplace, be sure to get proper approval before proceedig. Your project probably will ot be a oe-perso udertakig. You ca ivolve Scouts who are also workig for their Safety merit badges, or ay other Scouts who might be iterested i this effort. You will do the plaig ad direct the efforts of other people. I other words, the success of the project will be i your hads. Ay terrorist evet i the Uited States is a federal crime. The Homelad Security Advisory System Because of the terrorist attacks o September 11, 2001, Presidet George W. Bush ad Cogress established the U.S. Departmet of Homelad Security. This govermet agecy aalyzes threat iformatio. Homelad Security uses a color-coded system to commuicate the curret risk of terrorist attack. If the level of threat chages, state ad local govermets, idustries, ad the public that icludes you eed to severe severe risk of terrorist attacks high high risk of terrorist attacks elevated sigificat risk of terrorist attacks guarded geeral risk of terrorist attacks low low risk of terrorist attacks kow, so that everyoe ca help protect agaist terrorist attacks. Kow the colors associated with the threat levels so that you ca advise others. With your parets permissio, check the Homelad Security Web site to fid out the curret level of terrorist risk. Explore the site to lear how to prepare for, or help prevet, a attack. For more iformatio, see the resources sectio at the ed of this pamphlet. Homelad Security Advisory System o Risk of Terrorist Attack: Code Red, severe; Code Orage, high; Code Yellow, elevated; Code Blue, guarded; Code Gree, low 70 Safety

73 Types of Projects As you decide what type of project you wat to do, cosider opportuities i your home ad commuity. Oe Scout orgaized a bicycle safety program for his troop. I the Scout s small tow, the troop program spread to be a citywide evet. Bikes were ispected o weekeds. Experts gave istructio i safe ridig, ad a safe bike ridig cotest was the highlight of the safety campaig..safety Plas ad Projects Your safety project could ivolve learig about home security ad maybe eve sharig what you leared with others. Aother kid of safety project might be more useful or appropriate i your eighborhood or commuity. The suggestios listed here will get you thikig about specific projects to discuss with your couselor. With your Scout leader s permissio, stecil No Flames i Tets o the flaps of your uit s tets. Coduct a safety poster cotest, with posters placed i eighborhood store widows. Develop a emergecy evacuatio pla for your troop meetig place. Safety 71

74 Safety Plas ad Projects. Make copies of the Home Safety Checklist i this pamphlet ad distribute the copies to homes i your area. Keep kids safe durig the Hallowee seaso by collectig doated flashlights ad reflective tape from local hardware stores ad distributig them to parets of small childre. The Ceters for Disease Cotrol estimates four times as may childre betwee ages 5 to 14 are killed o Hallowee tha o ay other ight of the year. Order ad post i your place of worship a set of safety posters. Be sure to get permissio from both your place of worship ad parets before you do. Posters may be ordered for free from the Web site of Church Mutual Isurace. (See the resource sectio at the ed of this pamphlet.) Pla ad build a safety float for a parade such as a school or commuity evet, or Scoutorama. Pla ad ru a safety booth at a fair. Coduct a study of the books ad other materials o safety that are available i your local library. Create a list of additioal resources that could be added such as books, pamphlets, ad videos. Preset this list to the libraria ad explai that you are workig o the Safety merit badge. 72 Safety

75 Work with the local police to orgaize a Neighborhood Watch i your area. For iformatio o orgaizig a Neighborhood Watch program, see the Crime Prevetio merit badge pamphlet. After usig the Home Safety ad Home Security checklists, pla ad complete a project to update your home i all areas that are show to be deficiet. If you live o a farm, you will probably choose a farm safety project. A farm is a good place for a project because there are so may kids of safety hazards posed by farm machiery, pesticides, floodig, lightig, electricity, ad other dagers. See the Farm Mechaics merit badge pamphlet or cotact the Natioal Safety Coucil for its material o farm safety. With your paret s permissio, visit the Natioal Highway Traffic Safety Admiistratio s Web site, Make a chart or a poster of the safety star ratigs for a passeger car, a pickup, a SUV, ad a va. The preset what you leared to your couselor, Scout uit, or a Cub Scout pack..safety Plas ad Projects Safety 73

76

77 .Careers i Safety Careers i Safety Savig ad protectig the lives of other people ca be a rewardig career. Fire ad Rescue Service Firefighters rescue people, but they also raise ladders, hook hoses to water hydrats, ad eter burig buildigs. Fire ispectors help prevet fires from happeig by checkig buildigs to be sure fire ordiaces, laws, ad codes are followed. Fire ivestigators are like detectives. By usig clues left after the fire, they determie the startig poit ad cause of the fire. Fire safety techicias also work to prevet fires by plaig fire protectio systems like the ceilig sprikler systems i public buildigs. To be a firefighter, you must have a high school diploma ad advaced first-aid traiig. I may areas, firefighters must also be traied as paramedics. Fire ivestigators, ispectors, ad safety techicias must have two to four years of college i oe of the followig programs: fire service, fire protectio, fire techology, or fire protectio egieerig. I additio, a positio may require state fire protectio certificatio, paramedic certificatio, public educatio specialist certificatio, or other special qualificatios. A applicat for a fire ispector, ivestigator, or techicia ofte eeds two or more years of experiece as a firefighter. Because firefighters are first respoders, they must also have advaced traiig i first aid. Safety 75

78 Careers i Safety. Educatig employees i safe practices ad promotig pride i the umber of hours worked accidet-free are importat parts of a safety egieer s resposibilities. Safety Egieer A safety egieer is resposible for reducig or miimizig the umber of prevetable accidets i the workplace by aticipatig hazardous coditios. Ofte this is i a warehouse or a maufacturig, chemical, or oil ad gas plat. Several years of experiece as either a safety techicia or assistat safety egieer are ofte required to obtai a safety egieerig positio. I additio, certificatio as a safety egieer or safety cosultat i the state i which you wish to work is recommeded. A four-year degree i idustrial egieerig is preferred. Law Eforcemet Law eforcemet agets such as police officers have a wide rage of resposibilities to protect the public. They eforce the law, preserve the peace, cotrol crowds, ad arrest ad stop crimials, amog other duties. Detectives obtai iformatio about crimials ad their activities through surveillace, iterviews, ad research. A high school educatio is required, but a two- or four-year college degree i law eforcemet is preferred. Aother optio is joiig the armed forces, which offer law eforcemet traiig. A detective eeds a wide rage of kowledge, so a four-year college degree i geeral studies is preferable. A detective eeds a memory for detail, good verbal ad writig skills, ad a curious mid. 76 Safety

79 Cadidates must pass a writte test that checks for itelligece ad the ability to uderstad police work. Cadidates also are checked for character ad to verify they have o arrest record. Physical fitess for stregth ad agility is also a importat qualificatio. After beig hired, a police officer typically must pass special traiig ad the work side-by-side with a experieced officer for several moths. Usually oly a police officer with at least three years of experiece may apply for a detective positio. Other Careers i Safety.Careers i Safety Risk Maagemet. Muicipalities, isurace compaies, research istitutes, safety advocacy orgaizatios, ad other compaies ad orgaizatios, icludig the Boy Scouts of America, have risk maagers who assess the safety of activities. Code Eforcemet. Private compaies, city govermets, trade groups, ad other orgaizatios have code eforcemet persoel that assess the implicatios of safety codes o the trades ad the cosumers. Fire Marshal Services. All types of muicipalities have persos traied i how fires start ad the damages that ca occur. Occupatioal Safety Aalysis. Idustry ad govermet hire experts i idustrial fuctios ad products to aticipate how o-the-job accidets ca occur ad how they ca be preveted. Safety Advocates. Orgaizatios, compaies, ad cosumer groups employ cosultats to advocate safety i the eviromet, trasportatio commuity, ad istitutios. Safety 77

80 Safety Resources. Safety Resources Scoutig Literature Boy Scout Hadbook (icludig How to Protect Your Childre From Child Abuse); Safe Swim Defese; Safety Afloat; Climb O Safely; Fieldbook; Crime Prevetio, Emergecy Preparedess, Figerpritig, Fire Safety, First Aid, Lifesavig, Public Health, Traffic Safety, Weather, ad Wilderess Survival merit badge pamphlets Visit the Boy Scouts of America s official retail Web site at for a complete listig of all merit badge pamphlets ad other helpful Scoutig materials ad supplies. Books America Red Cross. America Red Cross Commuity First Aid ad Safety. America Red Cross, America Red Cross First Aid: Respodig to Emergecies. Staywell, Are You Ready? A I-Depth Guide to Citize Preparedess (IS-22). FEMA, Order a free copy at Heberle, David, ad Richard Scutella. The Complete Guide to Makig Your Home Safe. Betterway Books, Lee, Laura. 100 Most Dagerous Thigs i Everyday Life ad What You Ca Do About Them. Broadway Books, Morkes, Adrew, ed. Careers i Focus: Public Safety. Ferguso Publishig, Vacca, Joh R. Idetity Theft. Pretice Hall, Warde, Joh. The Healthy Home Hadbook: All You Need to Kow to Rid Your Home of Health ad Safety Hazards. Three Rivers Press, Orgaizatios, Govermet Agecies, ad Web Sites AAA Foudatio for Traffic Safety Telephoe: Web site: America Associatio of Poiso Cotrol Ceters Toll-free hotlie: Web site: America Natioal Stadards Istitute Telephoe: Web site: 78 Safety

81 .Safety Resources America Red Cross 2025 E St. NW Washigto, DC Telephoe: Web site: America Society of Safety Egieers Telephoe: Web site: ASTM Iteratioal Telephoe: Web site: Federal Emergecy Maagemet Agecy 500 C St., SW Washigto, DC Toll-free telephoe: FEMA Web site: Natioal Fire Protectio Associatio Telephoe: Web site: Natioal Highway Traffic Safety Admiistratio Toll-free telephoe: Web site: Natioal Safety Coucil 1121 Sprig Lake Drive Itasca, IL Telephoe: Web site: Natioal Youth Sports Safety Foudatio Telephoe: Web site: Occupatioal Safety ad Health Admiistratio 200 Costitutio Ave., NW Washigto, DC Toll-free telephoe: OSHA Web site: Recreatio Safety Istitute 39 Shadyside Ave. Rokokoma, NY Telephoe: Safe Kids Worldwide Telephoe: Web site: Uderwriters Laboratories Ic. (UL) Telephoe: Web site: U.S. Cosumer Product Safety Commissio Toll-free telephoe: Web site: U.S. Departmet of Homelad Security Web site: U.S. Natioal Library of Medicie Web site: Ackowledgmets The Boy Scouts of America is grateful to the followig for their assistace i preparig this 2006 editio of the Safety merit badge pamphlet. Members of the Safety merit badge review committee, i particular Sve Rudma (chair), Norma Butma, Mike Doaghue, Ed Haywood, Gle Hederso; Tom Seymour, ad Tom Watso Members of the BSA Health ad Safety Committee, i particular David Bell, Ph.D.; William W. Forgey, M.D.; Joh E. Hedrickso, America Red Cross Natioal Headquarters; Charles Mitchell, Natioal Rifle Associatio of America; Arthur H. Mittelstaedt Jr., Ph.D., Recreatio Safety Istitute; ad Paul Youg, R.S., M.P.H. Thaks also to Brya Caldwell, retired captai, Hawaii Couty Fire Departmet; Michele Campbell ad Kevi Fear, Research ad Statistics Departmet, Natioal Safety Coucil; ad Ralph W. Russell II, Istitute of Electrical ad Electroics Egieers. Safety 79

82 Safety Resources. Special thaks to staff members of the Recreatio Safety Istitute, Rokokoma, New York, for providig their assistace, time, ad expertise. We appreciate the Quicklist Cosultig Committee of the Associatio for Library Service to Childre, a divisio of the America Library Associatio, for its assistace with updatig the resources sectio of this merit badge pamphlet. For their cotributios to the 1997 editio of the Safety merit badge pamphlet, upo which this ew editio is closely based, the BSA thaks Dr. Dale Braom, Police Chief William E. May, ad the Natioal Safety Coucil. Additioal assistace was provided by Frederick L. Hies ad a special committee of the America Society of Safety Egieers, R. B. Wagler, chairma. Photo ad Illustratio Credits Church Mutual Isurace Compay, courtesy page 72 (bottom) Comstock Ic., 1999 cover (helmet) HAAP Media Ltd., courtesy pages 47, 49, ad 76 Joseph O Brie, USDA Forest Service, courtesy page 53 Photos.com cover (all except merit badge, helmet, buddy tags); pages 9 10 (both), 15 (bottom), 29 (all), 33, 36, 38 (right), 40 (top), 41, 42 (top), 43, 46, 50, 54 (left ad ceter), 59, 60 (top), 67 (bottom), 69, ad 77 Safercar.gov/Natioal Highway Traffic Safety Admiistratio, courtesy page 73 Terrorism Research Ceter, courtesy page 70 All other photos ad illustratios ot metioed above are the property of or are protected by the Boy Scouts of America. Da Bryat page 54 (right) Darrell Byers page 42 (bottom) Daiel Giles pages 8, 47, 51, ad 67 (top) Roy Jase pages 4, 7, 28, ad (both) Joh McDearmo pages 20 (all), 30 (both), 35, 39, ad 48 Rady Pilad page 65 Bria Paye pages 12, 58, ad 60 (bottom) The Boy Scouts of America is grateful to TXU Electric Delivery for providig expertise, photo assistace, time, ad other resources i the productio of this ew editio of the Safety merit badge pamphlet. I particular, thaks to Tom Baker, Gordo Bius, Tim Burke, Gailee Cardwell, Ray Cumpto, Joh Fretress, Loie Gree, Jay Greee, Bill Harper, Art Miller, Carol Peters, ad Rady Smith. 80 Safety

83 Merit badge library Though iteded as a aid to Boy Scouts, Varsity Scouts, ad qualified Veturers ad Sea Scouts i meetig merit badge requiremets, these pamphlets are of geeral iterest ad are made available by may schools ad public libraries. The latest revisio date of each pamphlet might ot correspod with the copyright date show below, because this list is corrected oly oce a year, i Jauary. Ay umber of merit badge pamphlets may be revised throughout the year; others are simply reprited util a revisio becomes ecessary. If a Scout has already started workig o a merit badge whe a ew editio for that pamphlet is itroduced, he may cotiue to use the same merit badge pamphlet to ear the badge ad fulfill the requiremets therei. I other words, the Scout eed ot start over agai with the ew pamphlet ad possibly revised requiremets. Merit badge Pamphlet year America Busiess 2002 America Cultures 2005 America Heritage 2005 America Labor 2006 Aimal Sciece 2006 Archaeology 2006 Archery 2004 Architecture ad Ladscape Architecture 2010 Art 2006 Astroomy 2010 Athletics 2006 Automotive Maiteace 2008 Aviatio 2006 Backpackig 2007 Basketry 2003 Bird Study 2005 Buglig (see Music) Campig 2005 Caoeig 2004 Chemistry 2004 Ciematography 2008 Citizeship i the Commuity 2005 Citizeship i the Natio 2005 Citizeship i the World 2005 Climbig 2006 Coi Collectig 2008 Collectios 2008 Commuicatio 2009 Composite Materials 2006 Computers 2009 Cookig 2007 Crime Prevetio 2005 Cyclig 2003 Detistry 2006 Disabilities Awareess 2005 Dog Care 2003 Draftig 2008 Electricity 2004 Electroics 2004 Emergecy Preparedess 2008 Eergy 2005 Egieerig 2008 Merit badge Pamphlet year Etrepreeurship 2006 Evirometal Sciece 2006 Family Life 2005 Farm Mechaics 2008 Figerpritig 2003 Fire Safety 2004 First Aid 2007 Fish ad Wildlife Maagemet 2004 Fishig 2009 Fly-Fishig 2009 Forestry 2005 Gardeig 2002 Geealogy 2005 Geocachig 2010 Geology 2005 Golf 2002 Graphic Arts 2006 Hikig 2007 Home Repairs 2009 Horsemaship 2010 Idia Lore 2008 Isect Study 2008 Ivetig 2010 Jouralism 2006 Ladscape Architecture (see Architecture) Law 2003 Leatherwork 2002 Lifesavig 2008 Mammal Study 2003 Medicie 2009 Metalwork 2007 Model Desig ad Buildig 2010 Motorboatig 2008 Music ad Buglig 2010 Nature 2003 Nuclear Sciece 2010 Oceaography 2009 Orieteerig 2003 Paitig 2008 Persoal Fitess 2006 Persoal Maagemet 2003 Pets 2003 Merit badge Pamphlet year Photography 2005 Pioeerig 2006 Plat Sciece 2005 Plumbig 2004 Pottery 2008 Public Health 2005 Public Speakig 2002 Pulp ad Paper 2006 Radio 2008 Railroadig 2003 Readig 2003 Reptile ad Amphibia Study 2005 Rifle Shootig 2001 Rowig 2006 Safety 2006 Salesmaship 2003 Scholarship 2004 Scoutig Heritage 2010 Scuba Divig 2009 Sculpture 2007 Shotgu Shootig 2005 Skatig 2005 Small-Boat Sailig 2004 Sow Sports 2007 Soil ad Water Coservatio 2004 Space Exploratio 2004 Sports 2006 Stamp Collectig 2007 Surveyig 2004 Swimmig 2008 Textile 2003 Theater 2005 Traffic Safety 2006 Truck Trasportatio 2005 Veteriary Medicie 2005 Water Sports 2007 Weather 2006 Whitewater 2005 Wilderess Survival 2007 Wood Carvig 2006 Woodwork 2003 BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA SUPPLY GROUP NatiONal distribution CeNter direct Mail CeNter 2109 Westighouse Boulevard P.O. Box 909 P.O. Box 7143 Pieville, NC Charlotte, NC For fast credit card orders VISA, MasterCard, America Express call BSA operators toll-free

84 T philmot scout r ach orther tier eagle scout O the road to high adveture he Supply Group is r eady to be a parter o your tr ail to Eagle through high advetur e. The advetur e is your s, ad we ar e r eady with the gear you will eed. You ca deped o the latest i light weight, dur able, qualit y gear that will meet ad sur pass your toughest r equir emets. w w w.scoutstuff.org SKU 35944DIG Pritig florida sea base