MANILA, Philippines — Millions of Filipino television viewers watched in horror a few days ago as a seven-year-old boy writhed in pain during a three-hour rescue to free his arm from the clutches of a store escalator. Doctors treating him at a hospital later pronounced him out of danger; they were able to save his arm from amputation.

The boy was reportedly playing in the escalator area when he tripped and fell, causing his arm to get trapped between the escalator’s metal moving parts. The bloody accident is a reminder to all parents and children’s caretakers to practice caution as danger lurks in the most familiar surroundings.

IT TAKES BUT A MINUTE – The escalator victim’s companion, an aunt, told police that she went to the store’s bathroom for only a few minutes, leaving the boy with her own son who’s only slightly older.

ADULT SUPERVISION – Common sense dictates that children should never be left by themselves, outside the home. They roam around, curious about everything. Often, with friends, their tendency is to horse around unmindful of injuries and damage they can cause to themselves and others around them.

NO TO STRANGERS – From early childhood, the young ones should be taught never to trust strangers; they should be shown news stories of what happened to other children. It is better for them to be distrustful than be snatched by evil elements.

ESCALATOR HAZARDS – Elevators and escalators are routine parts of our daily lives. As safe as they normally are, there have been enough reports of injuries for all of us to pause and think before letting a child ride on an elevator or escalator alone.

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reports that there were about 11,000 injuries on escalators in 2007, mostly from falls. In addition, there have been at least 77 reports of entrapment -- when hands, feet, or shoes (mostly clogs and slide sandals) get trapped in the escalator -- since 2006.

SHOE SAFETY – Since many of the accidents involve footwear, experts advise that shoelaces be checked and tied before riding on the escalator. Soft, rubbery footwear popularly known as Crocs, have been blamed for an alarming number of escalator accidents. A California court is hearing a lawsuit seeking $2-million compensation for a four-year-old girl who lost her toe while wearing the soft clogs in an escalator accident at a mall. The suit cites a June 2008 letter from Crocs to the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission acknowledging that Crocs had received 186 claims of escalator injuries.

NOT A JOYRIDE – Mind where, and how: Stand in the center of the escalator, face forward, hold the child’s hand, and step off at the end. Refrain from sitting or playing on the escalator – it should not be treated as an amusement park ride.

STOP BUTTON – Make a point of knowing where the emergency shutoff button is so that you can turn off the escalator if someone gets entrapped while riding.

ELEVATORS – Elevators can also be dangerous. Although most injuries and deaths involve the people who work on and maintain elevators, passengers can get hurt, too. According to the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, on average, about six people a year die in and around elevators. This includes about one child under the age of 10 each year. One study found that about 2,000 children each year were injured in and around elevators, with the most common injuries occurring when the elevator doors closed on a body part, such as a finger, hand, or arm.

The most serious injuries involved falls into empty elevator shafts, including when the elevator doors opened and there was no elevator car to get into. Deaths and serious injuries also occurred when people get stuck in the elevator between floors and then fall when trying to get out of it, or when an elevator collapses.

KIDS’ LESSONS – Teach children to never attempt to stop an elevator door from closing with their arms or foot. They should learn how to push the alarm button or use the elevator phone to call for help when stuck in an elevator.

CELLPHONE HELP – Remind the kids to use a cellphone (his own or the other passengers’) to call for help if the elevator gets stuck and the alarm button or elevator phone is not working.

DANGEROUS TOOTHBRUSH – In a recent report from Washington, ABC News carried a Food and Drug Administration warning about electric toothbrushes after some users complained that parts of the device pop off and chip a tooth, fly into their eye or get stuck in their throat.

The FDA says this has happened with the battery-powered Arm & Hammer Spinbrush – or the Crest Spinbrush as it was called before 2009. According to an FDA news release, injuries reported from using the Spinbrush powered toothbrush include: Chipped or broken teeth,           cuts to the mouth and gums, swallowing and choking on broken pieces. The FDA is alerting the public about potential injury while using several Spinbrush models.