The death of Mike Tyson's daughter several weeks ago was a reminder that the more gadgets we have in our homes, the more careful we need to be to insure the safety of our families. Tyson's daughter was fatally injured by a treadmill cord.

In addition to trampolines and exercise equipment, there is another potential danger lurking in the homes of most Americans: the personal computer. Dr. Lara McKenzie of the Nationwide Children's Hospital Center for Injury and Policy led a research team to determine the level of injury caused by computers in the home. Studying data form the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, they determined that acute computer related injuries increased eight-fold from 1994-2006.

Obviously, much of this has to do with the fact that over the last two decades, home computers have gone from luxury to necessary status; in 1989, 13.5 million homes had computers, and by 2003 the number rose to 70 million. And, with the advent of all of its benefits, its pitfalls began to surface.

The biggest culprit, hands down, is the computer monitor, which can cause serious, if not fatal injuries to a child if it is dropped or it topples off of an unsteady surface. One-half of those who visited the emergency room due to a computer injury described what they were doing when the accident occurred; 60% stated they were trying to move the monitor. The second leading cause of injury related to computers involves accidents with electrical cords, such as tripping and becoming entangled.

In order to insure that households, especially the children living in them, are safe from computer related injury, KidsHealth.org, a site that provides a safety checklist for all areas of the home, suggests the following:

Make sure excess cord is bound with a twist tie Make sure the monitor is placed on a wide surface, preferably against a wall

Additionally, it's important to make sure that children do not have easy access to the power strip you have in place. Place it in a spot that is impossible for young children to get to.

Referring to the study, Dr. McKenzie stated that we must analyze the way most people integrate computers into their home; the furniture they use, as well as the safety measures they have in place to take care of the maze of cords required to run a computer system. That way, future household standards can be developed to minimize accident risk.

Learn more about this author, Rachel Stockton.
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