With February’s hot temperatures looming, Wimmera and Grampians families are urged to never leave their kids in cars.

In 2016, there were three call-outs to rescue children in hot cars in Ararat and another one in Halls Gap.

The Andrews government is working with Kidsafe and Ambulance Victoria to increase awareness of the dangers of leaving children in parked cars.

In 2016, Ambulance Victoria paramedics were called to a staggering 1562 call-outs for kids left in cars.

One in five required hospital treatment.

Despite heat warnings and significant penalties, an average of four kids a day are being put at risk of serious heat-related injury or death by being left unattended in parked cars.

In the worst of these cases, firefighters rescued children from locked cars before they were treated by paramedics.

Temperatures in a car can more than double within minutes, meaning on a typical summer day the temperature inside a parked car can quickly become 20 or 30 degrees hotter than outside.

Experts say children’s body temperatures rise three to five times faster than an adult’s, meaning they are at greater risk of life-threatening heatstroke, dehydration and organ damage when left in a hot car.

Make no mistake, hot cars can kill so there are no excuses, and no exceptions.

It may seem challenging for busy parents, but every time you get out of the car, even briefly, you must take your kids with you, no exceptions. In Victoria, it is against the law to leave children unattended in a car.

Parents or carers could face fines of nearly $3700 or up to six months’ jail, or both.

JAALA PULFORD

Member for Western Victoria

WORKSAFE inspectors will zone in on the risk of falling building materials and equipment at construction sites that can cause injury or death during a three-week blitz across Victoria.

The first of almost 1000 inspections of commercial, residential and industrial construction sites will start this week to ensure builders are controlling the risk of falling objects.

According to WorkSafe statistics, more than 860 construction workers have been injured since 2010 by falling objects.

Injuries are commonly caused by falling building materials such as bricks, tiles, concrete and timber.

Ensuring loose materials and tools are secured at building sites could mean the difference between life and death for a construction worker.

Each year WorkSafe investigates serious injuries and countless near-misses involving falling objects at construction sites.

We know that even a small tool or a bolt falling from a building site can cause life-threatening injuries.

That’s why every builder must assess their site throughout the day and identify materials or objects that could fall in or outside of the site boundaries.

Materials placed close to the edge of an incomplete upper level or left unsecured can pose a particularly high risk.

Materials that are blown from structures by wind or tools and equipment knocked or dropped from ledges not only pose a risk to workers but the general public in the streets below.

Any object, no matter how small, can be deadly if it falls from a height so builders need to constantly assess the work being undertaken to ensure these kinds of materials are secured.

For more information on the upcoming site visits, people can go to www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/construction

MARNIE WILLIAMS

WorkSafe, Executive Director Health and Safety