Straight Off, Straight In, Straight Away
“Straight Off, Straight In, Straight Away” is a campaign that RoSPA has been involved in, developed by the health improvement team from NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, to raise awareness of hair straightener burns to children. Other agencies involved are: colleagues from the burns unit and A&E consultants from the Royal Hospital for Sick Children (Yorkhill) Glasgow; Strathclyde Fire and Rescue Service; and the James Watt College - Glasgow.
An audit identified an increase in the number of young children being burnt due to contact with hair straighteners. Most of the children who suffered the burns were 0-3 years old and male, with the burns being sustained when the child either stood on the straighteners or picked them up. Most occurred after the straighteners had been turned off.
Hair straighteners can take up to 40 minutes to cool down, so the campaign encourages people to switch off the straighteners at the wall and unplug them, put them in the free promotional thermal bag and store them in a safe place out of reach of children - and to do this straight away. The campaign also incorporates a fire safety message, as many people forget to unplug the straighteners and scorch or set fire to bedding or carpets.
The campaign was launched in Glasgow on December 3, 2008.
The poster for the campaign (PDF 1.12Mb) can be downloaded here.
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